Honey imports to Cyprus from countries outside the European Union decreased between 2016 and 2021, while exports to country outside the EU increased during the same period, according to data published by Eurostat on the occasion of the UN’s World Honey Bee Day on 20 August.
The trend is reversed in the EU overall, since honey imports from outside the EU have increased while exports to non-EU countries decreased.
In 2021, EU Member States imported 173,400 tonnes of natural honey from non-EU countries worth 405.9 million euro. In contrast, during the same year, just 25,500 tonnes were exported by the EU Member States outside the EU, worth 146.6 million euro.
Compared with 2016, honey imports from outside the EU increased by 7% in weight, while EU exports to non-EU countries decreased by 10%.
According to the same data, Cyprus imported 64 tonnes of honey in 2021 from countries outside the EU (worth 126,781 euros) and exported 11 tonnes (worth 81,620 euro).
In 2021, honey imports to Cyprus from countries outside the EU were lower than in 2016 when the country had imported 109 tonnes of honey (worth 286,865 euro). During the same period exports to non-EU countries increased from 4 tonnes that had been exported in 2016 (worth 27,713 euro).
Germany was the largest EU importer of honey from non-EU countries in 2021, having imported 51,900 tonnes of honey (30% of total extra-EU imports of honey), followed by Poland (32,200 tonnes, 19%), Belgium (25,600 tonnes, 15%), Spain (14,500 tonnes, 8%) and Portugal (7,100 tonnes, 4%).
Imports of honey from non-EU countries in 2021 came mainly from Ukraine (53,800 tonnes, or 31% of total extra-EU honey imports), followed by China (48,000 tonnes, 28%), Mexico (15,500 tonnes, 9%), Argentina (14,400 tonnes, 8%), and Brazil (7,900 tonnes, 5%).
Source: Cyprus News Agency