EU absorbs 66% of the food and beverage industry exports up to March
Exports of the food and beverage industry increased by 6.44%, to 1,997 million euros, in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2023, according to data from the INE released today by the sector association.
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Economia UE
According to the Portuguese Agro-Food Industry Federation (FIPA), the most recent data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) show that the countries of the European Union (EU) were the ones that contributed the most to the sector's sales, absorbing 66% of exports.
Conversely, exports to non-EU countries decreased by 3.58% compared to the first quarter of 2023, penalised by the geopolitical context and by difficulties at the logistics chain level.
Since the sector's goal is to reach 10 billion euros in exports "in a short space of time", the president of FIPA considers that "the industry faces complex situations throughout the entire chain", which is why "the coming times will continue to be marked by high unpredictability and many challenges to the life of companies".
Among these challenges, Jorge Henriques highlights "the need for a true agri-food strategy for Portugal, despite the fact that the industry produces at the level of the best in Europe and the rest of the world".
The food and beverage industry presents itself as "the processing industry that contributes the most to the national economy", both in terms of turnover (22.4 billion euros) and Gross Added Value (3.8 billion euros), and as "the one that generates the most employment (it is responsible for more than 112,000 direct jobs and around 500,000 indirect ones).
"It also assumes great importance in the development of the business fabric -- namely in the inland areas where the sector locates its industrial units -- and in the affirmation of the country's potential for evolution of food self-sufficiency", he highlights.
Recently, FIPA held a round of meetings with the political parties with parliamentary seats to present the sector's concerns, namely "the necessary adaptation of fiscal policy to competitiveness, the need for a clear vision for the creation of a solid and competitive infrastructure network and a greater commitment to eliminating customs barriers in various geographies".
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