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FM announces value of food and drink exports to China worth £85 million.

Food and drink exports from Scotland to China are worth £85 million to the Scottish economy, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

The latest Scottish figures show that the value of food and drink exports to China has risen by 12 per cent in a year, and has soared 83 per cent since 2007.

Fish and seafood makes up the bulk of exports with £43 million worth of Scottish products being exported to China last year.

Whisky (£39 million), meat following the lifting of an import ban on British pork (£1.4 million) and cereals (£1.1 million) were the next best performing areas.

Fish and seafood has also experienced the biggest rise in exports since 2007 – up a phenomenal 953 per cent.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement ahead of her six day visit to China, undertaking a number of visits and engagements across three cities. She said:

“Scotland serves up first class food and drink to countries across the world, with global exports worth a staggering £5.1 billion in 2014.

“Emerging markets like China are actively looking at Scottish produce and these figures show a clear recognition that our produce is highly regarded and sought after.

“It’s easy to understand why exports of fish and seafood have soared since 2007 – the quality and taste of our premium produce is unrivalled. And the same goes for many of our products such as whisky. The guaranteed excellence and provenance of our food and drink is a magnificent selling point and one we are actively looking to build on.

“We have recruited an in-market food specialist to work with Scottish Development International to promote Scotland’s food and drink in China, and have a team of fellow specialists doing the same thing across the world.

“We know there’s a massive global appetite for our iconic products and we want to make the most of that and capitalise on the many opportunities open to our food and drink businesses.”

Notes To Editors

Statistics for Scottish food exports during 2014 come from a data set provided by HMRC and are available at: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/Pages/default.aspx

The First Minister is in China and Hong Kong this week to promote Scottish innovation with one of the world’s largest economies as part of a trade visit.

During the visit, the First Minister will undertake a series of high profile business engagements to promote Scottish business in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, including hosting an ‘innovation showcase’ for Scottish companies to meet with Chinese investors, as well as undertaking a series of cultural and educational engagements.

The First Minister will also raise Scotland’s unique approach to growing the economy by addressing the issue of women’s rights in the heart of the Chinese Government in a key note address to 100 senior women in government, academia and business.

Pictures of the visit will be available for download throughout the trip at – https://www.flickr.com/photos/firstministerofscotland

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Find out more about the office of the First Minister at https://firstminister.gov.scot/