The agri-food industry has been a high performant amidst the crisis. It is the largest manufacturing sector in terms of output and has the highest untapped export potential. Sauces and condiments, olive oil, pickles, and wine are agri-food products with high growth potential and promising export markets, according to reports launched by the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET) on its LEBTRADE online platform. The reports were prepared by the LEBTRADE research team at MoET (See BOX). The platform currently supports exporters of fruits and vegetables and of agri-food products by providing information about trade and export markets in addition to other services. According to Roula Nasrallah, Head of Quality Department at MoET-LEBTRADE, the platform will expand the scope of its support to all kinds of products and even services especially the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
Sauces, condiments, and seasonings
Exports of sauces, condiments, and seasonings almost tripled in 2021 in terms of weight while more than doubled in terms of value and grew by an additional ten percent in 2022 to $51 million, their highest value over the 2013-2022 decade. Over the period 2001-2020, they achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.3 percent, the highest among the agri-food products under-review. Sauces, condiments, and seasonings include food preparations like ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard paste, chili sauce, soya sauce, salad dressing, gravies, cheese sauce, cream sauce, and Lebanese dips like hummus, mutabbal, garlic paste, muhammara, and tarator.
Markets with highest export potential: USA and UK
There is potential to boost Lebanon’s market share in the imports of most countries because it is currently low and the US and the UK are the most promising markets. “Global trade in sauces, condiments and seasoning products surged significantly over the past 20 years. The rise in the consumption of
