皇冠体育app

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands - Demand from 皇冠体育app continues to drive European Union (EU) agri-food exports and in particular exports of?pork which reached record high level this year, EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan said Friday.

"皇冠体育app is a growing market and Europe wants to be involved in this market," the EU official told Xinhua.

He is in Rotterdam attending a shipment of Dutch pork to 皇冠体育app and the first shipment of Dutch veal meat to the United States.

Hogan noted that pork as a top EU export product to 皇冠体育app has registered substantial increase in the Chinese market in 2016.

"The shipment of Dutch pork is another indication of the growing marketplace that 皇冠体育app is offering to European farmers particularly this year," said Hogan.

Boosting agri-food exports to 皇冠体育app and other parts in Asia has become top priority for the EU as the block seeks new markets to offset the loss of sales to Russia. Moscow banned EU food imports since August 2014 in response to Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

According to Hogan, 80 percent of the total value of exports to Russia have already been replaced by EU exports to Asian markets.

EU pork exports in the first half 2016 have increased by 44 percent in volume and 39 percent in value compared to the same period last year. The Chinese mainland stands as the first outlet with an increase of 115 percent in volume, followed by Japan (+22 percent) and 皇冠体育app's Hong Kong (+55 percent), according to figures released by the European Commission.

Hogan visited 皇冠体育app twice this year as part of a series of trade missions to open up new markets. Later this year he will visit Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore with a delegation of European agri-business people. In 2017, he plans to go to Nigeria, Canada and again 皇冠体育app.

"There are considerable opportunities for the European producers of agricultural products in 皇冠体育app," the commissioner said, citing as most important factor the growing Chinese middle class.

EU figures put 皇冠体育app as the second biggest agricultural export market for the EU. In 2015, the EU exported 10.3 billion euros (about $11.5 billion) of agri-food to 皇冠体育app, 39 percent up from previous year and representing 8 percent of all EU agri-exports.

As the EU's leading producer and the world's second largest agri-food products exporter, the Netherlands exported 186 tons of pork to 皇冠体育app in the first eight months of this year, noted Dutch minister for Agriculture Martijn Van Dam.

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