Pro IQRA News Updates.
Scottish food and drink product exports reached a record export value of £8 billion in 2022, according to the latest figures from HMRC.
The value of Scottish food and drink product exports increased by £1.9 billion compared to 2021, an increase of 30.6%, to exceed pre-Covid levels.
Driven by strong growth particularly in whisky, but also in other categories such as cereals, the numbers illustrate the appetite for Scottish produce globally.
This is despite another challenging year for the industry with cost pressures, skills shortages and inflation.
Scottish food exports were up 8.1% from their pre-Covid 2019 peak, showing a faster recovery than producers in the rest of the UK, which remained at -1% in 2019.
Scotch whiskey exports grew by 37.2% compared to the previous year, representing a growth of £1.7 billion.
This increased value comes largely from Asia and Oceania – Singapore, India and Taiwan in particular – but the United States remains its largest national market.
Minister for Rural Affairs Mairie Goujon said: “This is testament to the quality, innovation and skill shown by everyone working in industry across Scotland.
Statistics show that food exports have risen to an all-time high of £1.9 billion – an increase of 12.8% on 2021 – which is a remarkable achievement for our food sector.
“The food and drink industry is vital in Scotland. It creates jobs and wealth and helps attract people to the country by promoting our products around the world.”
Ian Baxter, chief executive of Scotland Food and Drink, and a member of the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Trade Council and the UK Government’s Food and Drink Export Council, said,:
“The latest export figures are a welcome reason for optimism amid the ongoing difficult trading conditions in our industry.
Scotch whiskey and Scottish seafood are world-famous sectors with a global reputation for their quality.
Today’s data highlights the Scottish basket and the success we are seeing in overseas markets where sectors such as grains and meat ensure strong growth in exports.
“Few countries have the breadth of products Scotland has to offer, and we must continue to build on the strength of our largest sectors to help the smaller ones grow.”
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