Scottish businesses to see overseas sales total £1.7bn
Scottish firms are taking their business around the world with combined international sales figures set to hit £1.7 billion, a report reveals.
Scottish firms are taking their business around the world with combined international sales figures set to hit £1.7 billion, a report reveals.
Scottish Development International (SDI) said there are now 366 export projects which are expected to reap the fruits of their labour over the next three to five years.
SDI, the international arm of Scotland's enterprise agencies, worked with 2,600 companies in 2015/16 to achieve their international ambitions.
More than 50% of firms were at the start of their international journey and with "focused support", 140 new Scottish exporters have now emerged.
Business Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: "It is very encouraging to see so many Scottish businesses selling their products all over the world, and of course Scotland has a tremendous brand and reputation for excellence, for example in food and drink and in developing software for the games industry.
"Our Trade and Investment Strategy highlights our ambition to improve the strength and capabilities of Scotland's businesses even further and to expand our export base."
Mr Wheelhouse said Scotland's continued EU status and place in the single market was "absolutely vital" when promoting trade and protecting jobs, investment and long-term prosperity.
He added: "This is why we are so committed to pursuing every possible avenue to maintain our place in the EU."
Paul Lewis, SDI managing director, said: "While Scotland's performance has been encouraging over the last few years, these are still too few exporters concentrated in too few sectors and focused on too few markets. Therefore, these results are very encouraging.
"We have supported Scottish companies to access over 400 new markets ranging from China and Germany to Belgium and South Africa, of which 160 products and services were taken to an international market for the first time.
"We're also building on the strengths of Scotland's premium consumer products in the key sectors of food and drink, tourism, textiles and education to take advantage of the growing market opportunities."