Foreign trade in agri-food products, 4/2020 (preliminary)

In April 2020, agricultural products and foodstuffs were exported to the value of approximately EUR 0.15 billion and imported by just over EUR 0.4 billion. The value of exports of agricultural products and foodstuffs decreased by almost EUR 2 million (-1.3%) from March 2020, and the value of imports by about EUR 46 million (-10%).
Between March and April, the value of agricultural and food imports fell particularly sharply from the UK, by almost 60 per cent. The volume of imports from the United Kingdom decreased by about 52%.
The value of grain exports turned to growth. The value of exports in the harvest season 2020/2019 (July-April) was about 80% higher than in the corresponding period 2019/2018. During the same period, the volume of exports more than doubled. In April 2020, the volume of grain exports was about 157 million kilograms.
Most grain was exported to South Africa, Germany and Morocco. South Africa exported the most oats (30 million kg) and wheat (22 million kg). Oats (30.2 million kg) were mostly exported to Germany, and barley (33 million kg) to Morocco. About 7.8 million kilos of grain were imported in April.
The value of imports of milk and dairy products decreased by about 11% and the volume of imports by about 9% in April. The value of dairy and dairy exports decreased by 13% and the volume of exports by 11%.
The value of meat imports fell by 31% in April and the volume of imports by a third. The biggest impact was the decrease in German imports, meat imports from there fell by about a third in April. The value of meat exports fell by less than a fifth, and the volume of exports fell by 18%.
The value of fruit and berry imports fell by about 13% in April, and the volume of imports by 14%. The value of fruit and berry exports fell by a quarter, and the volume of exports by almost half (-47%), due to the stagnation of Estonian exports.
In value terms, egg imports decreased by about 45% in April compared to the previous month. Measured by volume, the decrease was 34%. The value of egg exports fell by about 38%, and the amount by 32%.
The value of imports of beverages and confectionery increased by 17% and the value of exports by 27%. The value of alcohol imports, on the other hand, started to decline (-7%) after a sharp rise in March. The value of alcohol exports also declined during the quarter.

Annual statistics: Foreign trade in agri-food products 2002-201 9