UK to boost food exports in emerging markets

UK food and farming minister Jim Paice has unveiled the Exports Action Plan, which could enable UK food and drink companies to boost sales in emerging markets.

The UK currently exports more food to Belgium than to emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and Mexico put together.

However, there are significant opportunities for UK companies to tap into emerging markets, where there is rapid population growth and an increasing consumer demand for Western products.

The Exports Action Plan aims to overcome several barriers currently faced by potential exporters and is intended to help the food and drink industry achieve 20% growth by 2020.

The plan outlines several steps to drive imports, such as eliminating trade barriers, promoting and establishing measures to help improve the exports of small and medium-sized business (SMEs) and shifting the attention to emerging economies. It also stresses the importance of exports as a key route to growth.

The 21-page farming, food and drink exports action plan was overseen by a forum co-chaired by Jim Paice and Food and Drink Federation (FDF) deputy president and chief executive of Nestlé UK, Paul Grimwood.

FDF director general Melanie Leech said that the plan includes many common sense actions that can deliver results in a relatively short timescale, as well as those initiatives that are more complex and longer term.

‘We will be reviewing our progress in one year’s time and I hope that the Exports Action Plan will make a significant contribution to yet another year of record exports and to our overall vision for industry growth,’ Leech added.

The project steering group that developed the plan included the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the FDF, the Food and Drink Exports Association, the Scotch Whisky Association, and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

UK food and drink exports amounted to £10.8bn in 2010 but are expected to reach nearly £12bn when official 2011 figures are released in March.

The leading British exports include whisky (£3.5bn), beer (£536m), chocolate (£376m), breakfast cereals (£367m) and soft drinks (£327m).