Industry Food and Beverages, Spanish “flag” abroad. Mauricio Garcia de Quevedo. FIAB
As a leading industrial sector in Spain, the food and beverage industry turnover of more than 93,000 million euros, representing nearly 3% of GDP and directly employs half a million people. To be a benchmark exercise requires great responsibility and commitment to society and the economy. We are facing a great challenge boost the sector’s competitiveness in the international consolidation process in which we are immersed. To do this, innovation or the promotion are the cornerstones on which we are setting our strategy.
A great exporter
Internationalization is a key to foster the competitiveness of the sector and the Spanish economy to the current rates of growth pillar. Therefore, it represents one of the main axes of industry business food and drinks in recent years.
According to data from the last year end, the sector’s exports exceed 24,000 million euros in 2014, 5.9% more than in 2013. Moreover, account for over 60% of total sales in the food sector and 10 % of total national exports of goods. Also during the past year, 7.3% of the sector’s exports in the context of the European Union corresponding to Spain, making it the sixth European export economy.
Since 2010 the number of exporting companies has grown at an average annual rate of 5.3%, accumulating an increase of 23.1% until last year, at which time the sector had 12,401 exporting companies, 2.6 % more than in 2013. The result so far has been very positive thanks to the resilience of the Spanish companies in the food industry to the diverse needs of each country, and its high degree of competitiveness abroad.
A sector that extends and enhances its presence abroad
In recent years, FIAB has carried out numerous actions in the area of internationalization aimed to consolidate the presence in traditional markets and conquer those emerging, some of which have become as in priority countries for Spanish exports. We detected priority markets to which the industry must direct its major efforts to boost internationalization. In this regard, various geographical areas in which they work. Thus, China + Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, US, UK and Japan are countries where there is room for growth for macroeconomic variables such as GDP growth, population, or the image and reputation of the Spanish product. They are followed by Peru, Colombia, South Korea, Brazil, Germany and Mexico, among others. The exporter trend rate of Spanish products allows us to estimate that in 2020 exports will account for 35% of total production, allowing Spain, currently sixth country in the European ranking, can rise to fourth in five years.
Flag of Spain abroad
Spanish food and drinks are unique symbol of taste, quality, safety and good work, even a way of life, and this is recognized within and outside our borders.
Proudly we exhibit our gastronomic wealth, where the triad Food-Food-Tourism differentiator is our most direct competitors and that has served to consolidate as powerful employer and exporter in our country.
Mauricio Garcia de Quevedo, director general of the Spanish Federation of Industries Food and Beverage (FIAB)
