The individuality and superior quality of Austrian food manufacturers has established them a place on European and overseas markets for many years, as is convincingly illustrated by the following figures: Austria’s agricultural exports managed growth of 4 per cent in the first six months of 2020 by comparison with the same period in 2019, with imports rising by 1 per cent; exported goods amounted to EUR 6,329 million, while imports totalled EUR 6,334 million.
The balance of trade has thus never been closer to equilibrium and Austria has even become a net exporter in its dealings with Germany. Total agricultural exports over the last six months have made up more than 9 per cent of all of Austria’s exports – an absolute record achievement.
Simultaneously, Austria’s trading relationships in the agricultural sector have become more international than every before, according to figures from the Agrarmarkt Austria (AMA) marketing agency. Germany continues to occupy the top place among Austria’s agricultural export destinations, with a share of 36 per cent of domestic outgoings, followed by the rest of the EU zone. The proportion of trade with European third countries (including Russia) has risen and exports to the USA and Asia continue to follow an upward trend.
Dairy produce achieved the highest export value in the rankings, followed by processed fruit and vegetables, sausage, ham and bacon products. Exports increased in almost every product group over the first six months of 2020.