Last year, the Netherlands was once again the largest exporter of beer within the European Union. This is reported by the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), which investigated the trade in beer, frozen potato products such as fries and chocolate. Our country exported 2 billion euros worth of beer last year. That was more than Belgium, which exported 1.7 billion euros worth of beer in 2023.
Most beer from the Netherlands goes to the United States, but increasingly also to France, South Africa and Paraguay. Belgian beer is often exported to France and the Netherlands. Of all alcoholic drinks entering the Netherlands, 19 percent comes from Belgium. 58 percent of this consists of beer, CBS has calculated.
Since the first comparisons in 1988, the Netherlands has had an advantage over its southern neighbors when it comes to beer trade, although this has become increasingly smaller over time, the statistics office notes. Belgium has started trading much more beer in the past twenty years.
Belgium earns more from the export of frozen potato products, about a fifth of which consists of fries. In two years, its export value has more than doubled to 3.4 billion euros last year. Statistics Netherlands attributes this increase to an increase in the number of chip factories and higher export prices. Belgian fries mainly go to nearby countries, but exports to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Australia and South Africa have grown the fastest.
In terms of chocolate trade, Germany is the largest exporter within the EU, for a total value of 5.8 billion euros. Belgium is in second place with 3.7 billion euros. Of all Dutch chocolate imports, 38 percent comes from the southern neighboring country. According to Statistics Netherlands, Belgian chocolate exports to the Netherlands have grown the most.
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Tags: Netherlands trumps Belgium EUs largest beer exporter Economy
