Chemicals sales fall dents region’s 2013 exports

A CONTINUED fall in chemical sector exports sparked a 10% fall in total exports for the North West to £27.5bn last year, official figures showed today.

Aside from the chemicals impact -the sector is the largest exporter – there was positive news for region as trade with China grew 4% to £1.6bn in 2013, while trade with the Netherlands also saw strong growth, and has risen 12% since 2011 to £2.4bn.

The biggest market for the North West was the US, with Germany falling to second place.  The other top export markets were Netherlands, China and France, with Saudi Arabia taking 6th place with exports last year of £1.4bn.

Sectors which are on the increase are food and live animals, up 14% to £1.25bn, machinery and transport equipment, up 5% to £7.1bn and manufactured goods, up 11% to £2.2bn.

Paul Stowers, deputy regional director for UKTI North West said: “Once again, the dip in exports from the North West is due to a drop in reported chemical sales – if you look outside this sector we are doing quite well in general and our performance in some markets is excellent, especially the Netherlands.”