Dutch agro-food export to the GCC

The GCC has remained to be an important market for the Dutch agro-food sector in 2016, with an agro-food export rising to almost € 1.4 billion. Main trade destinations in the Gulf region are the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the latter showing the largest growth as export destination.

The GCC is depending on food imports for at least 70% of its consumption . Thereby it is geographically close to the EU, and its population is rapidly growing. All of these factors add up to an increasingly interesting market for agro-food export. In return the Netherlands has a lot to offer when it comes to agro-food products, being one of the world’s major players in the field of agro-food. This led to a positive trade climate between the Netherlands and the Gulf.

Read the newly published article of the Agro-food office to the GCC of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Riyadh on Dutch agro-food export to the Gulf region, by clicking on the hyperlink below.

Main findings are:

  1. The GCC remains an interesting market for agro-food products, with prospects of growth.
  2. The Netherlands is a major contributor to the EU agro-food export to the Gulf, but still there are opportunities for growth.
  3. Dairy & vegetables are and probably will remain important Dutch export commodities.

"The Netherlands exported as much as €1.4 billion in agro-food products to the Gulf region in 2016"