Scotland’s food and drink exports soar

Scotland’s food and drink sector has grown by £527 million according to the latest statistics.

Food and drink generated £13.9 billion in turnover in 2016, marking a rise of 3.9% on from the previous year and the greatest growth since 2011.

Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing said: ‘This is more good news for Scotland’s food and drink sector, which continues to go from strength to strength. We’re very fortunate in Scotland to have a natural larder which is renowned the world over.

‘We can rely on our hard working farmers to harvest that larder, and a vibrant business community working collaboratively to sell our remarkable products, and enhance our national brands.’

The statistics show that the food and drink sector has been growing over the past ten years, helped by a record £6 billion in exports last year.

The government is aiming to double the value of Scotland’s food and drink to £30 billion by 2030.

James Withers, CEO at Scotland Food & Drink commented: ‘In a world where consumers are seeking out world-class products with authentic provenance, Scotland is ideally placed to be a leader in the field. This latest set of results clearly demonstrates that our global identity for world-class produce is growing.

‘The challenge going forward is to ensure that continued growth is reflected within the agricultural sector and achieving this is going to require new thinking across the supply chain.’