The Dutch agricultural sector had a record year in 2015 with 81,3 billion euros in exports, making it the second-largest exporter in the world.

Only the United States has a bigger market share, and Germany, Brazil and France trail the Netherlands according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

When you also include agriculture-related products such as fertilizer and machinery, the figure is almost 90 billion euros, accounting for 21 percent of the total Dutch export of goods.

Flowers and plants biggest exports

The bulk of Dutch agricultural exports consist of flowers and plants (8,3 billion euros), followed by meat (7,6 billion euros), dairy (7,2 billion) and produce (6,3 billion).

Beverages, animal feed, processed cacao, fruit and processed vegetables and fruit, and processed corn, flower and dairy close out the top 10 agricultural exports.

Agriculture-related products

Products made for and used by the agricultural sector and include fertilizers and machinery. They account for 8,6 billion euros in exports.

Second-largest exporter in the world

The Netherlands only trails the United States when it comes to agricultural exports. According to figures from the World Trade Organisation, in 2014 the USA exported 182 billion dollars worth of agricultural goods.

Source: World Trade Organisation

In 2015, the Netherlands is still in second place but the gap is closing due to a decrease in American exports.

Germany is main export market

The neighbour to the east is the largest market for Dutch agricultural exports, accounting for nearly 25 percent of all exports.

The United Kingdom is the second-largest market, followed by Belgium. The United States is the main non-EU importer of Dutch agricultural goods and services.