The European Union’s agri-food trade recorded a cumulative surplus of €34.7 billion between January and August 2026, an increase of €4.1 billion compared with the same period of the previous year. According to the latest report published by the European Commission, this trend occurred amid stable exports and a decline in the value of imports, driven mainly by changes in international prices for certain commodities.
EU agri-food exports reached €157.7 billion during the first eight months of the year, a figure virtually identical to that recorded during the same period in 2025. The increase in the value of overseas sales in some product categories offset declines in others, including olive oil, pork and cocoa products.
India was among the destination markets that recorded the strongest growth, with EU agri-food exports increasing by 29%. This increase was mainly linked to sunflower oil shipments, which contributed to the growth in EU trade with the Indian market.
Overseas sales to Turkey also performed positively, rising by 8% compared with the same period of the previous year. In this case, the European Commission attributes the growth mainly to beef exports.
Meanwhile, agri-food exports to the Gulf countries returned to their average levels in August, after disruptions had previously affected trade with these markets.
Performance varied significantly across product categories. Exports of spirits and liqueurs increased in value by €583 million, representing growth of approximately 11% compared with the same period of the previous year.
In contrast, exports in the coffee, tea, cocoa and spices group fell by €1.4 billion, equivalent to a decline of nearly 16%. According to the EU report, this decrease was mainly linked to falling international prices for these products.
As for agri-food imports, the European Union recorded purchases from abroad worth €122.9 billion between January and August, 4% less than during the first eight months of 2025.
The decline was driven by the lower value of imports from some of the leading cocoa-producing countries. Price trends for this commodity had a direct impact on trade with several African markets.
The value of EU agri-food imports from Cameroon fell by 46%, while imports from Nigeria declined by 47%. In the case of Côte d’Ivoire, one of the world’s leading cocoa producers, the decline reached 22%.
By category, imports of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices fell by a cumulative €5.5 billion, approximately 19% less than during the same period of the previous year. This trend was linked to falling international prices, particularly for cocoa.
By contrast, EU imports of fruit and nuts increased by €825 million, representing year-on-year growth of approximately 4%.
The data published by the European Commission thus show differing trends across the main categories of EU agri-food trade. While exports maintained virtually the same cumulative value, imports declined, contributing to an increase in the positive trade balance.
The report for the first eight months of 2026 puts the European Union’s agri-food surplus €4.1 billion above the figure recorded between January and August 2025, in a period marked by fluctuations in international prices and changes in trade flows with various destination and origin markets.
