More than half the Catalan agri-food companies surveyed in the Agri-food Export Barometer expect to increase their exports in 2023

PRODECA – Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda has presented the results of the first wave of the Agri-food Export Barometer, the quarterly tool for monitoring how the sector's key export figures evolve. The results come from surveys of 52 companies and in-depth interviews with exporters of different product types and export volumes making up the agri-food export panel, a representative sample of Catalonia's agri-food exporting business base. 

According to Catalonia's first Agri-food Export Barometer, 50% of companies increased their exports in value in 2022 (52% did so in volume), while 15% saw a fall on the previous year (17% in volume). 69% of companies raised the selling prices of their export products in 2022 (only 4% lowered them), while 31% increased the profit on export orders in that period (19% saw it fall). Prices have risen more than commercial margins because of higher transport and raw material costs. 

Positive expectations for agri-food exports in 2023

For 2023, compared with the previous year, 60% of companies expect export value to grow. 56% of the panel's companies also expect export volume to rise. By contrast, 13% think their export value will fall and 13% expect lower export volume. Expectations on price rises and commercial profit on export orders follow the 2022 trend: 68% of companies expect the selling prices of their export products to be higher (8% expect them to be lower), while 32% think their profit will rise in 2023 (24% think it will fall).

Among the main destination markets (countries to which between six and 27 of the barometer's 52 companies export), countries such as South Korea, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Poland and the United States saw the greatest increase in export activity from the surveyed Catalan companies already selling there. Looking to 2023, respondents expect Catalan agri-food sales to grow in countries such as the United Kingdom, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Estonia, Austria and the Czech Republic. 

84% of Catalan agri-food companies say they are interested in diversifying into new markets in 2023. The main countries companies not yet exporting there are considering are the United States, China, Mexico, Japan, Germany and Canada. 

The overall outlook for agri-food exports in 2023 is therefore positive. 63% of companies say so, attributing it to factors such as diversification into new markets, good product acceptance and experience gained in international markets. Those with a negative outlook for their export sales in 2023 (23% of companies) cite reasons such as high, uncertain transport costs, raw material costs and rising prices and inflation. 

The Barometer, a tool for tracking trends in Catalan agri-food international trade

The Agri-food Export Barometer aims to provide first-hand information on the situation of exporting companies and to understand the challenges and opportunities they face internationally, so as to respond quickly to their needs. These results complement the macroeconomic analysis of agri-food export data that PRODECA presents early each year based on  Datacomex figures. The Barometer reveals the obstacles or difficulties that arise and the sector's export expectations for the coming months, allowing PRODECA to align and target its trade efforts and activities for the sector.