Household consumption expenditure on food in the domestic market was estimated at €611 million last year, 2.2 per cent lower than in the previous year, the National Statistics Office said.

In figures related to the food sector published on the occasion of World Food Day, being celebrated tomorrow on the theme “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition”, the NSO said the share of household expenditure on food was estimated at 12.8 per cent of total private final expenditure in the domestic market in 2012.

In 2012, there was a decrease in household spending on most food items, ranging from a 0.2 per cent decline in expenditure on vegetables, to a 10.1 per cent drop in respect of fruit when compared to 2011.

On the other hand, increases of 9.2 per cent were registered in household expenditure on fish and of 3.2 per cent on sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery.

The NSO said that the latest figures for 2012 put the value of imported foodstuffs at €496 million, an increase of 15 per cent when compared to 2011.

An increase was recorded in most food products, mainly fish (+80.2 per cent) and cereals (+30.2 per cent).

Malta’s food exports advanced by 38.4 per cent to an estimated €180 million.

This was mainly due to an increase in the exports of fish and cereals, by 181.8 and 150.9 per cent, respectively