Competitive Trade Analysis – Agri-food and seafood trends in Germany

Trade overview

Germany registered a Can$31.5 billion trade deficit of agri-food and seafood products in 2020, with exports valued at Can$116.8 billion and imports at Can$148.3 billion. In 2020, the country's top agri-food and seafood imports from the world were cheese and curd; roasted or decaffeinated coffee including husks and skins; wine of fresh grapes; bread, wafers, products including and similar to rice paper, pastry, cakes, biscuits and other bakers wares; and canola seeds. The largest five suppliers to the country were the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, France, and Spain, accounting for Can$72.8 billion and 49.1% of the market share.

Canada saws its highest export growth of 40.0% over the year, increasing from Can$482.6 million in 2019 to Can$656.1 million in 2020. Between 2016 and 2020, Germany saw its imports increase at a CAGR of 3.2% with products sourced from Canada growing at one of the highest rates with a CAGR of 11.2%. During this 5-year period, Poland also grew at a CAGR of 11.2%, followed by Austria (6.5%), and Spain (6.0%).

Amongst Germany's top 5 importing nations of agri-foods and seafood products, the Netherlands accounted for a market share of 18.8% in 2020, followed by Poland (8.5%), Italy (8.1%), France (6.9%), and Spain (6.8%). Canada's market share moved from 0.3% to 0.4% between 2016 and 2020, representing as Germany's 32nd largest source for agri-food and seafood products in 2020.

Within the top 10 importing nations of agri-foods and seafood products to Germany, Poland saw the largest gains in market share with a percent point (PP) gain of 2.2%, while France, Belgium, Denmark, the US, and Brazil registered PP losses between −0.1% and −0.7% (2016-2020).

In 2020, Canada's supply gap to Germany was Can$147.6 billion with a CAGR of 3.2% between 2016 and 2020. With Germany being the 3rd largest importer of agri-food and seafood products from the world at a total of Can$148.3 billion, it is clear that Canada has a great trade opportunity for potential growth to continue to increase its food and beverage supply to Germany.

In 2020, Germany's top five global imports were cheese and curd; roasted or decaffeinated coffee (including coffee husks and skins); wine of fresh grapes (alcoholic strength of >0.5%); bread, wafers, products including and similar to rice paper or medical cachets, pastry, cakes, biscuits and other bakers wares; and canola seeds. Within the top 15 imported products from 2016 to 2020, the greatest growth in demand was for fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, back, white or red currants, gooseberries and other edible fruits at a CAGR of 13.1%. The only two commodities that decreased over this period were coffee (-0.7%) and fresh or chilled meat of bovine animals, which fell by −0.1%.

The leading Canadian exports to Germany were canola seeds; other sugars - chemically pure lactose, maltose, glucose and fructose in solid form, syrups with no added flavouring/colouring, caramel, and artificial honey; frozen fruit and nuts; soya beans; and fresh/chilled or frozen/dried plants and parts of plants in 2020. In Canada's top 15 exported commodities to Germany between 2016 and 2020, the fastest growing products were peptones, other protein substances and their derivatives, n.e.s.; hide powder (whether or not chromed) which grew at a CAGR of 255.8%, followed by fresh, chilled, frozen or dried plants and parts of plants, cut/crushed or powdered (68.3%), and canola seeds (57.9%). Soya beans saw the greatest decline during this period at a −22.5% CAGR.

Top 15 agri-food and seafood imports from the world

1. Cheese and curds (HS 0406)

In 2020, Canada was Germany's 38th largest provider of cheese and curds with imports valued at Can$12,353. German imports for this commodity from the world increased at a CAGR of 5.7% (2016-2020), totalling Can$6.3 billion in 2020. Canada, however, registered a decline by −14.4% with a market share that continued to stagnate around 0% over the 5-year period.

2. Coffee, whether or not roasted or decaffeinated; coffee husks and skins (0901)

Canada was Germany's 53rd largest provider of roasted or decaffeinated coffee, husks and skins with imports valued at Can$771,357 in 2020. German imports for coffee from the world decreased at a CAGR of −0.1% (2016-2020), totalling Can$4.8 billion. Meanwhile, Canada registered a growth of 100.1% over the 5-year period with a market share that improved mostly between 2019 and 2020 (0.004% to 0.016%) at a growth difference in value of 354.7%.

3. Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines; grape must, partly fermented or with added alcoholic strength of >0.5% volume (HS 2204)

In 2020, Canada was Germany's 34th largest provider of wine of fresh grapes (alcoholic strength >0.5% volume) with imports valued at Can$284,757. German imports for this commodity from the world increased at a CAGR of 2.1% (2016-2020), totalling Can$4.0 billion in 2020. In contrast, Canada registered a decline by −10.4% with a market share that continued to decrease down to a zero percentage over the 5-year period.

4. Bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits and other bakers' wares, whether or not containing cocoa; communion wafers, empty medical cachets, sealing wafers, rice paper and similar products (HS 1905)

Canada was Germany's 42nd largest provider of bread, wafers, products including and similar to rice paper, pastry, cakes, biscuits and other bakers wares with imports valued at Can$1.2 million in 2020. German imports for this commodity category from the world increased at a CAGR of 6.6% (2016-2020), totalling Can$3.6 billion. Canada, also registered a growth by 31.2% with a market share that continued to increase from 0.01% in 2016 to 0.03% in 2020.

5. Rape or colza seeds, whether or not broken (HS 1205)

In 2020, Canada was Germany's 5th largest provider of canola seeds with imports valued at Can$255.8 million. German imports for canola seeds from the world increased at a CAGR of 3.3% (2016-2020), totalling Can$3.6 billion. Canada outpaced global trade in terms of growth rate at 74.3% with a market share that increased by a percent point (PP) change of 6.3% over the 5-year period. Notably, there were no Canadian exports (neglible value) to Germany of canola seeds in 2018.

6. Preparations of a kind used in animal feeding (HS 2309)

Canada was Germany's 33rd largest provider for preparations of a kind used in animal feeding with imports valued at Can$1.3 million in 2020. German imports for animal feeding preparations from the world increased at a CAGR of 8.9% (2016-2020), totalling Can$3.5 billion in 2020. Canada, also registered a growth by 19.6% with a market share that flunctuated up and down over the 5-year period; starting at 0.03% in 2016 and changing to 0.04% in 2020 (peaking at a global share of 0.07% in 2017).

7. Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa (HS 1806)

Canada was Germany's 40th largest provider of chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa with imports decreasing to a value of Can$330,696 in 2020. German imports for these chocolate commodities from the world increased at a CAGR of 2.2% (2016-2020), totalling Can$3.2 billion in 2020. Canada's imports, however, declined by a global market share PP change of −0.007% over the 5-year period; picking up in import value between 2017 and 2018, then declining again, to it's lowest share value in 2020.

8. Other nuts, fresh or dried, whether or not shelled or peeled (excluding coconuts, brazil nuts and cashew nuts) (HS 0802)

Canada was Germany's 54th largest provider of other fresh or dried nuts with imports drastically declining to a total value of Can$115,586 in 2020. Imports to Germany for other nuts from the world increased at a CAGR of 3.6% (2016-2020), totalling Can$3.2 billion. Meanwhile, Canada registered a decline by −35.2% with a global market share that peaked in 2018 at 0.131% and decreased to 0.004% in 2020.

9. Food preparations, nowhere else specified (HS 2106)

Canada was Germany's 35th largest provider of other food preparations, n.e.s. with imports hitting its highest value of Can$13.7 million in 2017 and decreasing to Can$4.9 million by 2020. Imports to Germany for these other food preparations from the world increased at a CAGR of 7.8% (2016-2020), totalling Can$2.8 billion in 2020. Canada, also registered a a growth of 9.6% with a fluctuating global market share over the 5-year period that resulted in a PP change of 0.01% (difference between 2020 and 2016 values).

10. Other fresh or chilled vegetables (excluding potatoes, tomatoes, alliaceous vegetables, edible brassicas, lettuce, chicory, carrots, turnips, salad beetroot, salsify, celeriac, radishes and similar edible roots, cucumbers and gherkins, and leguminous vegatables) (HS 0709)

In 2020, Canada was Germany's 47th largest provider of other fresh or chilled vegetables with imports valued at Can$411,980. German imports for these vegetable commodities from the world increased at a CAGR of 5.3% (2016-2020), totalling Can$2.7 billion in 2020. Canada grew at a CAGR of 65.5% over the 5-year period with a market share that improved mostly between 2019-2020 (0.003% to 0.015%) at a growth difference in value of 466.4%.

11. Fresh or chilled meat of bovine animals (HS 0201)

Canada was Germany's 21st largest provider of other fresh or chilled meat of bovine animals with imports valued at Can$2.5 million in 2020. German imports for these beef products from the world decreased at a CAGR of −0.1% (2016-2020), totalling Can$2.4 billion in 2020. Canada grew by 1.6% with a global market share remaining almost the same over the 5-year period at a PP change of 0.01%.

12. Fresh, chilled or frozen fish fillets and other fish meat, whether or not minced (HS 0304)

In 2020, Canada was Germany's 38th largest provider of fresh, chilled or frozen fish fillets and other fish meat with imports valued at Can$1.3 million. Imports to Germany for these fish products from the world increased at a CAGR of 1.1% (2016-2020), totalling Can$2.3 billion in 2020. Canada declined by −16.1% over the 5-year period with a global market share that decreased at a PP change of −0.07%.

13. Fresh, chilled or frozen meat of swine (HS 0203)

Canada did not provide fresh, chilled or frozen pork meat between 2018 and 2020. These pork products was Germany's 13th largest category imported from the world, which increased at a CAGR of 1.1% (2016-2020), and totalled Can$2.3 billion in 2020. Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands were Germany's largest partners, accounting for 78% global market share. France at a market share of 3.1% in 2020, saw the highest growth at a 5-year CAGR of 9.2%.

14. Fresh, chilled or frozen meat and edible offal of fowls of the species gallus domesticus, ducks, geese, turkeys and guinea fowls (HS 0207)

Canada did not provide fresh, chilled or frozen meat and edible offal of fowls of the species gallus domesticus between 2016 and 2020. This meat category was Germany's 14th largest grouping imported from the world, which slightly grew at a CAGR of 0.4% over the 5-year period. In 2020, global imports totalled Can$2.2 billion with Poland accounting for the largest market share of 31.3%, which also, saw the highest PP change of 6.9% since 2016. Germany's other top import partners included the Netherlands, France, Austria, and Italy.

15. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, back, white or red currants, gooseberries and other edible fruits (excluding nuts, bananas, dates, figs, pineapples, avocados, guavas, mangoes, mangosteens, papaws "papayas", citrus fruit, grapes, melons, apples, pears, quinces, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums and sloes) (HS 0810)

In 2020, Canada was Germany's 42nd largest supplier of fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, back, white or red currants, gooseberries and other edible fruits with imports valued at Can$340,250. German imports of fresh berries and other edible fruits from the world increased at a CAGR of 13.1% (2016-2020), totalling Can$2.1 billion in 2020. Canada, also saw high growth at a CAGR of 78.3% over the 5-year period increasing the most by 169.5% between the years of 2018 and 2019. In 2020, Canada decreased to a 0.016% global market share that increased at a PP change of 0.013% since 2016.

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Competitive Trade Analysis – Agri-food and Seafood Trends in Germany
Global Analysis Report

Prepared by: Erin-Ann Chauvin, Senior Market Analyst

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