In a particularly unfortunate year for Spanish companies working in third countries, the food companies were saved from burning thanks to the fact that the acquisition of these goods was considered essential and the sale has not stopped in any country in the world. Exports of goods in Spain fell by 10% in 2020, falling back to 2016 levels, while those of food grew by 5%. And among the latter, the good results obtained by meat products stood out, with an annual increase of 16.2%.
The white pig and China are behind that resurrection. White pork exports hit record highs, with 2.9 million tons sold for 7,628 million euros. Of that amount, 1.39 million tons (47% of the total) were destined for China, whose purchases shot up 110% compared to 2019. Swine fever in the first months of 2019 in China, which forced the slaughter of a significant part of the herd, has played a transcendental role in this strong rebound. and the closure of much local industry in 2020, which pushed distributors to resort en masse to purchases in third countries. A fact that supports this growth is the fact that the market share reached by China already exceeds the 42.8% registered by the 27 members of the European Union.
In this way, pork rose to second place in export sectors within the agri-food section, only behind the fruits. “All the forecasts that had been announcing an excellent performance of sectoral exports in 2020 were surpassed, without the Covid-19 pandemic apparently having any effect on them, in global terms of the sector,” he emphasizes. Daniel de Miguel, Interporc International Director.
The product most demanded by Chinese consumers was fresh, chilled or frozen meats, which amounted to one million tons and 2.533 million euros. “For the first time in history, exports of fresh, refrigerated and frozen meats exceeded the barrier of two million tons (2.13 million), representing 71.7% of the total volume and 74% of the exported value” .
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