
Among continents, suppliers in European countries sold the highest dollar worth of exported fresh spinach during 2019 with shipments valued at $198.5 million or roughly half (50.3%) of the global total. Close behind was North America at 45.7% far ahead of Asian spinach shippers at 3.3%. Smaller percentages came from Oceania (0.5%) mostly Australia, Latin America (0.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Africa (0.1%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for fresh or chilled spinach is 070970.
Spinach Exports by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of spinach during 2019.
- United States: US$134.3 million (34% of total spinach exports)
- Spain: $67.5 million (17.1%)
- Italy: $64.8 million (16.4%)
- Mexico: $41 million (10.4%)
- Netherlands: $36.4 million (9.2%)
- China: $7.3 million (1.9%)
- France: $6.4 million (1.6%)
- Canada: $5.4 million (1.4%)
- Malaysia: $4.2 million (1.1%)
- Belgium: $3.5 million (0.9%)
- Germany: $3.4 million (0.9%)
- United Kingdom: $3.1 million (0.8%)
- Denmark: $2.6 million (0.7%)
- Poland: $2 million (0.5%)
- Sweden: $1.8 million (0.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 97.2% of globally exported spinach in 2019.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of spinach since 2015 were: Belgium (up 148.5%), Mexico (up 147.8%), Netherlands (up 134.3%) and Denmark (up 133.3%).
Canada was the sole top supplier to experience a drop over the 5-year period via a -36.6% reduction in its international spinach sales.
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for spinach during 2019. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported spinach and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- United States: US$85 million (net export surplus down -16.4% since 2015)
- Spain: $66.1 million (up 49.5%)
- Italy: $62.4 million (up 69.7%)
- Mexico: $17.1 million (up 67.1%)
- Netherlands: $15.1 million (up 280.2%)
- China: $7.3 million (up 13.6%)
- Malaysia: $2.3 million (up 82.3%)
- Australia: $1.8 million (up 109.4%)
- Serbia: $531,000 (reversing a -$227,000 deficit)
- Turkey: $479,000 (down -11.1%)
- Portugal: $411,000 (down -80.4%)
- Azerbaijan: $388,000 (up 326.4%)
- South Africa: $332,000 (up 63.5%)
- Guatemala: $252,000 (up 93.8%)
- Jamaica: $127,000 (reversing a -$92,000 deficit)
The United States of America generated the highest surplus in the international trade of spinach. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms America’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for spinach during 2019. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported spinach purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Canada: -US$104.1 million (net export deficit down -1.5% since 2015)
- United Kingdom: -$33.9 million (down -16%)
- Germany: -$29.7 million (up 44.1%)
- Singapore: -$13.8 million (up 27.9%)
- Belgium: -$12.9 million (up 89.4%)
- Poland: -$5.6 million (up 97.4%)
- Switzerland: -$5.6 million (up 10.3%)
- Sweden: -$5.5 million (up 52.9%)
- Norway: -$4 million (up 50.3%)
- Denmark: -$3.85 million (up 168.2%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$3.84 million (up 13.9%)
- France: -$3.83 million (up 36.9%)
- Czech Republic: -$3.7 million (up 102.4%)
- Ireland: -$3.4 million (up 94.4%)
- Russia: -$3.3 million (up 334.1%)
Canada incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of spinach. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Canada’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for spinach-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Companies
Spinach Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following firms are examples of spinach-trading exporters including suppliers of fresh spinach, frozen chopped spinach and even organic spinach powder in the case of NutriBoost.
- Qingdao Yokid Foods Co. (China)
- American Top Foods, LLC (United States)
- NutriBoost (Netherlands)
- OXL Resources Sdn. BHD (Malaysia)
- UK Frozen Food Ltd (United Kingdom)
The home-country location for each of the above businesses is shown within parentheses.
See also Top Lettuce Exports by Country, Tomatoes Exports by Country, Potatoes Exports by Country and Corn Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for spinach. Accessed on June 8, 2020
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on June 8, 2020
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on June 8, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 8, 2020
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 8, 2020
Wikipedia, Spinach. Accessed on June 8, 2020