In the first ten months of 2015, agricultural and food products worth 1.241 billion EUR were exported, while 2.101 billion EUR were imported. This resulted in a negative balance of 860 million EUR.
Compared to the same period in 2014, exports increased by 19 percent, imports by 9 percent, and the negative balance was reduced by 2 percent, reported the Croatian Chamber of Economy on Thursday. Compared to the same period in 2014, exports increased by 19 percent, imports by 9 percent, and the negative balance was reduced by 2 percent.
The coverage of imports by exports is 59 percent. The share of agricultural and food products in total commodity exports is 13 percent, while the share in total imports is 14 percent, according to HGK.
The most significant export products during the observed period were fresh fish with a share of 6.6 percent, corn (6.1 percent), chocolate (5.4 percent), šugar (5.4 percent), sauce preparations (4 percent), and malt extracts (4 percent). The most significant imported products are fresh pork meat with a share of 6 percent, chocolate (4.6 percent), bread and pastries (4.5 percent), animal feed (4.2 percent), and various food products (3.8 percent).
– We are pleased with the reduction of the negative balance, but imports remain too high, said Božica Marković, Director of the Agriculture, Food Industry, and Forestry Sector at HGK.
She expects “that structural changes will accelerate the reduction of the deficit and increase the competitiveness and export of agricultural products.”
