NI food and drink sector boosts turnover to £6bn
- Published
Northern Ireland's food and drink industry generated a turnover of £6bn in 2021, an increase of 10% from the previous year.
It is estimated that the turnover for 2022 will increase by 8% to £6.4bn.
The figures are in a government-produced annual report on the size and performance of the food and drink sector.
The sector provided jobs to more than 25,000 people, with employment rising by under 1% from the year before.
Its share of Northern Ireland manufacturing turnover remained at about 39%.
Almost a quarter of what is produced by the sector is consumed within Northern Ireland.
Britain remains the largest market for Northern Ireland, accounting for 47% of sales, with export sales for outside of the UK making up 29% of turnover.
The Republic of Ireland remains the largest export market, taking almost 16% of products sold in 2021.
Michael Bell says the sector needs more support if it is to thrive amid challenging times
Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association chief executive Michael Bell said the figures appeared to be positive at first reading.
But he said that while turnover had grown, the cost of doing business had increased and profitability had gone down.
"These statistics relate mostly to the Covid period, with the Brexit transition and inflationary pressures also being partially reflected," he said.
"The industry in general has shown tremendous resilience in dealing with all of these challenges."
However, Mr Bell said he believed the industry was still missing several key ingredients for success.
"I feel we lack support in the areas of export marketing, investment in young people through the apprenticeship levy and capital investment."