For several years, the global trade in sweet potatoes has been stable, even declining. That is true for exports from the United States and other countries. However, it certainly does not apply to the Netherlands' imports (and re-exports). Those keep growing. Last year, Dutch imports reached nearly 180,000 tons, making the Netherlands the most important importing country worldwide by far. Those imports passed the 100,000-ton mark for the first time in 2017.
For sweet potatoes, the Netherlands is a significant European market importer. Most of those imports - 150,000 tons last year, are destined for re-export. Sweet potatoes are traded almost exclusively as fresh across the globe, with some frozen product. China is the leading international supplier of that.
The U.S. still dominates, but exports declining
On the export country list, the Netherlands trails only the U.S. That country is by far the world's top sweet potato exporter. In 2018, its exports peaked at nearly 300,000 tons; a volume not reached again. Last year, the United States exported 268,000 tons. In the first four months of this year, exports fell considerably again (-16%).
Egypt has become a significant sweet potato exporter and now exports an estimated 110.000 tons annually. Other export countries include Spain, Canada, Vietnam, Laos, Honduras, China, Portugal, and South Africa.
Within the European Union, besides the re-exporter, the Netherlands, only Spain and Portugal export reasonable sweet potato quantities. Other E.U. countries' exports remain (well) below 10,000 tons and fluctuate considerably from year to year.
Complementary U.S./Egyptian seasons
The United States and Egypt are both major exporting countries; together, they supply sweet potatoes year-round, but each has seasons. The U.S. exports mainly from November to July, while Egypt supplies most of its sweet potatoes between July and December.
Egyptian product increasing the most
The Netherlands is, by far, the top sweet potato importing country; the United States, the top supplier, also by far. Conversely, the Netherlands is the main U.S. sweet potato buyer. According to Eurostat/CBS figures, the Netherlands keeps importing more from the United States yearly, with nearly 100,000 tons in the past year.
Egypt's exports are also growing by around 10,000 tons a year in the past three years, to 36,000 tons in 2021. There too, the Netherlands is the leading buyer, with the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia following.
Last year, Belgium supplied the third-most sweet potatoes to the Netherlands: more than 10.000 tons. The quantities arriving in the Netherlands through Belgium have varied dramatically in recent years. Imports from Spain also change considerably every year. In 2021, that was 7,500 tons.
However, there is clear growth in imports from South Africa, which was more than 6,000 tons in 2021. Significant quantities are also imported from Honduras, Brazil, Guatemala, France, Israel, Argentina, Germany, and Portugal. After Brexit, the number of sweet potatoes coming from the U.K. to the Netherlands plummeted from 15,000 to 400 tons.
Sweet potato (re-)exports via the Netherlands are almost exclusively focused on E.U. countries. Belgium, Germany, and France are the three main buyers. Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Spain follow.
Little trade in frozen product, mostly from China
Along with importing and (re-)exporting fresh sweet potatoes, the Netherlands also does so, increasingly, with the frozen product. In the past year, that grew to 13,000 tons of imports and 10,000 tons of exports. China is the main supplier, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom, and Peru. The U.S. exports a modest 2,000 tons of frozen sweet potatoes.
U.K. becomes a less important importer
Besides the Netherlands, the U.K. is another truly large sweet potato importer. Except for 7,000 tons, the United Kingdom imports mainly from non-European Union countries; that almost halved after Brexit. Though the United States is by far the U.K.'s most important supplier, less came from there last year too. A few years back, the United Kingdom was importing more than 110,000 tons of American produce. In 2020, it was 80,000 tons; last year just over 70,000 tons.
U.K. imports from Egypt rose sharply from 5,000 tons in 2016 to 26,000 tons in 2020, but that trend did not continue last year. Imports from South Africa did, however, increase. But with only 6,500 tons, this country is, for now, still a small player in the British sweet potato market.
Still more being cultivated in E.U.
Sweet potato cultivation is expanding, but modestly, in various European Union countries. Globally, China is by far the most important producer, with a crop of roughly 50 million tons. Several African countries also grow a lot of sweet potatoes, but almost solely for the local market. Major exporter, the United States, is only the seventh-largest producer (1.4 million tons).
Egypt is No. 17(500,000 tons), and South Africa is No. 44 (< 100,000 tons). Spain is the leading producer in Europe. Until 2020, Spanish exports grew rapidly to 50,000 tons. Last year, however, it was less at 43,000 tons. France is the main buyer, with around 20,000 tons annually. The Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom are next, with quantities ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 tons.
U.S. exports fell further this year
The Netherlands and Canada buy the most sweet potatoes from the U.S. In 2021, these two countries were good for more than 80,000 tons. In the first four months of this year, exports to the Netherlands fell considerably while those to Canada held steady. The United Kingdom is the third largest buyer. Exports from the United States to there declined substantially in 2021 already, falling by another quarter in this year's first four months.
The various national statistics differ somewhat regarding trade. That is particularly noticeable for trade between the Netherlands and Canada. According to Canadian export statistics, in 2021, that country exported more than 30,000 tons to the Netherlands. Yet, Eurostat shows that the Netherlands hardly imported sweet potatoes from Canada.
You can notice something similar in the U.S./China trade. American statistics show 30,000 tons of sweet potato imports from China, while China indicates hardly any exports to the United States.
Click here for the background figures.
For more information:
Jan Kees Boon
Fruit and Vegetable Facts
Website: www.fruitandvegetablefacts.com
Email: [email protected]