China to become our first €1bn export market

China will become the first €1bn market for Irish food and drink exports outside of the UK within the next three years, according to Bord Bia CEO Aidan Cotter.

He made the forecast as Bord Bia announced yesterday the opening of a second office in Asia. With its Shanghai hub serving the Chinese market, the new base in Singapore will focus on the South and East Asian countries of Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea.

“Given that Irish food and drink exports to China have grown tenfold in ten years to reach €654m, we are confident China will be a €1bn market in the next three years,” he said. “China is currently our second-largest market for pork and dairy, while it remains a valuable and increasingly important market destination for Irish seafood.”