Food an drink industry to rival oil and gas

Siri Elise Dybdal

With the industry booming, the aim is to grow the value of food and drink sent abroad to £7.1 billion in just 5 years. Oil and gas exports are currently worth £7.6 billion.

The new targets were unveiled during Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight and at a time when the sector is booming with a growing appetite for Scottish produce overseas.

Markets such as the Middle East and China are growing particularly strongly and Scotland Food and Drink, working with Scottish Development International, is building a network of representatives abroad to ensure the growth target is delivered.

China is one of the largest global markets for seafood. The Scottish and Chinese governments reached an agreement to allow direct exports of seafood from Scotland to the People's Republic of China in January 2011.

4,300 tonnes of Scottish salmon (fresh, frozen and smoked products) with a value of over £23million were exported to the fast growing Chinese market in 2011, the first year that direct exports were permitted.  

“Food and drink is now Scotland’s fastest growing export sector”, says Scotland Food and Drink chief executive James Withers.

“Three years ago we set ourselves a target to break the £5 billion barrier in annual exports of food and drink by 2017. We have achieved that six years early. That is a credit to food and drink businesses up and down Scotland and reflects the collaboration between industry bodies and Government who have all come together through Scotland Food & Drink”