Scotland to double exports to £30bn
Supported by £4.5m of joint funding from the Government (£2.7m), industry (£900,000) and enterprise agency Scottish Development International (£900,000), the second phase of the plan will last from 2019 to 2024.
Scottish companies will be able to use the funding to take their products into new markets, along with support from ‘in-market specialists’ to offer expert advice, forge relationships with buyers and encourage new product development.
Successful first phase
Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said last year’s record level of exports (£6.3bn) was supported by the success of the first phase of the export plan.
He added: “This is a hugely exciting time for the sector and I’m confident that Government and industry will continue to work together successfully to identify new opportunities for Scotland, with the clear strategy set out by this latest plan.
“The need to explore and exploit international markets could not be clearer, given the current uncertainty around our future trading relationship with Europe – our single largest market, which is eight times larger than the UK market alone.”
Game-changing
Food Drink Scotland chief executive James Withers said the development of the plan and the implementation of a global team of trade specialists had been a game-changing investment for Scotland.
“Industry and Government have come together to share funding and we now have more international customers than ever before wanting to do business with Scottish food and drink producers,” he said. “Our ambition is to double the size of our industry to £30bn by 2030 and this next export plan will be crucial to unlocking our full potential.”
Meanwhile, UK food and drink exports were worth a record £5.7bn in the first quarter of 2019, according to the Department for International Trade (DIT).
