TRADE minister Richard Lochhead has hailed the “strong performance” of Scottish exports, as new figures showed sales to overseas countries grew at a higher rate than the UK average.
In the 12 months to the end of June, Scottish firms netted £36.7 billion of sales to foreign nations – up 12.6% on the previous year.
Scotland’s top trading partner over the period was the Netherlands, with £7bn of sales.
The growth in exports overall was above the 12.2% increase seen in the UK as whole, and higher than the 12.4% rise in England and 11.1% in Wales.
In Northern Ireland, overseas exports grew by 19.6% in the year to the end of June.
Lochhead said: “These figures show a strong performance for Scotland’s exports, despite these very challenging economic times.
“They are testament to the resilience and quality of Scottish businesses and highlight the success of our export growth plan, which aims to increase the value of our exports to 25% of GDP by 2029.
“Exports boost the economy by driving growth and creating jobs. They are a key part of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation and we continue to develop Scotland’s world-class expertise in areas such as life sciences, renewables, digi-tech and food and drink, and through initiatives such as the Scottish Government’s Innovation Strategy.”
