Tridge summary
The article highlights a significant decrease in potato exports and imports in the UK during January 2021, as reported by HMRC, following the country's exit from the EU trade bloc. This decline is linked to Brexit-related uncertainties and port disruptions, alongside strict COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK. The new data collection method used by HMRC for January might have led to inaccuracies in the reports. Despite current restrictions, seed exports to the EU were noted in the trade data, likely due to a delay in reporting December's trade figures. Both fresh and processed potato exports and imports experienced a sharp drop compared to the previous year, with fresh potatoes mainly exported to Spain and imported from Belgium and Cyprus, and processed potatoes mainly imported by the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands. Additionally, there was a noticeable decrease in starch imports in the beginning of the season, reflecting reduced demand for these products.
Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.
Original content
Potato exports drop in January after busy December. The latest HMRC trade data covers up to January 2021, the first month following the UK’s exit from the EU trade bloc. Across all categories recorded, imports and exports have fallen from December with figures at the lowest reported this marketing season. This comes as little surprise, given the reports of delays and difficulties at ports around the UK during the first weeks of January. The imposing of strict lockdown measures in the UK throughout January until present have restricted demand levels, reducing the import requirement. Changes to HMRC data collection for January onwards have resulted in potential questions on the accuracy of figures. Previously, Instrastat surveys collected volume per month by physical movement. The new method collects volume per month by customs declarations, which could create a problem if physical movement is delayed into the new calendar month. Seed exports to the EU were present in HMRC trade ...
Source: Ahdb
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