Market evolution: Lac and vegetable gums (CN 13) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the trade performance of the European Union in Lac, gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts (CN 13) over the 2015–2025 period. The product heading encompasses two sub-categories: CN 1301 (lac, natural gums, resins, gum-resins, balsams and other natural oleoresins) and CN 1302 (vegetable saps and extracts, pectic substances, agar-agar and other mucilages and thickeners). Throughout the decade, the EU maintained a structural trade surplus in this product group, though the balance narrowed in relative terms as import growth outpaced export growth.

1. Strong value growth driven primarily by price appreciation, not volume expansion

1.1 The EU's export value rose by 44 % while volumes barely moved

Between the first and last years in the data window, EU exports grew from €1.147 billion to €1.652 billion, an increase of 44.0 %. Over the same period, exported quantity fell slightly from 127,353 tonnes to 122,471 tonnes (−3.8 %). The entire expansion in export value therefore came from higher unit prices: the average export price climbed from €9,007/t to €13,490/t (+49.8 %). This pattern points to the EU's role as an exporter of higher-value, processed or specialty extracts rather than bulk raw materials.

1.2 Imports expanded in both volume and value, but at a more moderate price pace

EU imports grew from €913.8 million to €1.399 billion (+53.1 %), supported by a rise in quantity from 206,218 tonnes to 271,833 tonnes (+31.8 %). The average import price increased from €4,431/t to €5,146/t (+16.1 %). Unlike exports, imports thus drew growth from both higher volumes and higher prices, consistent with rising EU demand for raw natural ingredients in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

1.3 The EU trade surplus remained positive but peaked mid-decade

The EU consistently recorded a trade surplus in CN 13. Starting at €233.4 million in 2015, the surplus reached a maximum of €535.6 million before settling at €253.5 million in 2025 (+8.6 % overall). The mid-period peak likely reflects a combination of pandemic-era demand surges for food-grade additives and sharp price increases in export categories. The subsequent narrowing is explained by the faster pace of import growth catching up.

2. Supply geography reoriented towards Asia and Africa, while trade became more concentrated

2.1 China consolidated its position as the EU's top supplier

Among import partners, China grew from €168.7 million to €375.2 million (+122.5 %), making it the single largest origin of CN 13 imports by a wide margin. India followed with growth from €128.0 million to €226.1 million (+76.6 %). Together, these two countries accounted for roughly 43 % of EU import value in 2025, underlining the growing importance of Asian suppliers in the supply of vegetable extracts and gums.

2.2 African sourcing expanded significantly, especially from gum-arabic producing regions

Chad (+253.5 %) and Sudan (+36.4 %), both major gum-arabic producers in the Sahel, increased their share of EU imports. The expansion from Chad is particularly striking, rising from €13.5 million to €47.7 million, suggesting that EU buyers have sought to diversify sourcing beyond Sudan, possibly in response to political instability in the latter.

2.3 Viet Nam emerged as a volatile but fast-growing supplier

Imports from Viet Nam surged from a negligible €66,000 in 2015 to €22.7 million in 2025, representing one of the most dramatic percentage increases in the dataset. However, the volatility analysis shows a coefficient of variation of 1.38 for Viet Nam imports — the highest among all partners — indicating highly unstable trade flows. A major price shock was detected in 2017, with a 588.7 % price shift and an abnormality score of 103.9.

2.4 Export destinations diversified, with the United States as the anchor market

On the export side, the United States remained the dominant destination, growing from €274.4 million to €389.9 million (+42.1 %). The United Kingdom, China, Switzerland, and Mexico all recorded solid gains. In contrast, exports to the Russian Federation fell sharply from €73.5 million to €39.5 million (−46.3 %), likely reflecting the impact of geopolitical tensions and sanctions from 2022 onward.

2.5 Import concentration increased while export concentration remained moderate

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for imports by value rose from 900 to 1,208 (+34.2 %), indicating that the EU's import sources have become more concentrated over time, primarily because of China's growing share. By contrast, the HHI for exports by value rose only from 870 to 968 (+11.3 %), suggesting a more balanced and diversified customer base. Notably, the HHI for import volumes actually fell from 1,545 to 1,082 (−30.0 %), implying that while value has concentrated towards fewer high-price suppliers, volume sourcing has become more dispersed.

3. Vegetable extracts (CN 1302) dominate trade, with divergent pricing trends across segments

3.1 CN 1302 accounts for the lion's share of both import and export value

The product segment breakdown reveals that CN 1302 (vegetable saps, extracts, pectic substances, mucilages and thickeners) consistently represented approximately 75–85 % of total CN 13 trade value in both directions. In 2025, CN 1302 imports stood at €1.136 billion and exports at €1.413 billion, compared with €246.2 million and €209.0 million respectively for CN 1301 (natural gums, resins and lac). This dominance reflects the wide industrial applications of pectin, agar-agar and plant extracts in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors.

3.2 Export prices for vegetable extracts surged, widening the trade-price gap

A striking divergence appears in price dynamics between imports and exports. CN 1302 export prices rose from €8,841/t to €16,385/t (+85.3 %) over the period, while CN 1302 import prices remained relatively stable, moving from €5,943/t to €6,326/t (+6.5 %). This widening gap — from a ratio of roughly 1.5× to 2.6× — is consistent with the EU importing bulk raw extracts and re-exporting higher-value, processed or specialised products. The peak export price of €21,468/t was reached in 2022, likely driven by post-pandemic supply constraints and energy cost pass-through.

3.3 Natural gums and resins (CN 1301) saw strong price growth on both sides

For CN 1301, both import and export prices rose significantly. Import prices increased from €2,062/t to €2,712/t (+31.5 %), while export prices climbed from €3,619/t to €6,201/t (+71.3 %). The volume of CN 1301 exports remained essentially flat (from 33,909t to 33,701t), meaning that the 70.3 % increase in export value was entirely price-driven. This may reflect growing global demand for natural and clean-label ingredients, combined with supply constraints from climate-affected gum-producing regions in Africa.

3.4 Spain and France are the EU's most specialised exporters

According to the specialisation analysis for 2025, Spain (RSCA: 0.51, RCA: 3.11) and France (RSCA: 0.51, RCA: 3.06) display the strongest revealed comparative advantage in CN 13. France was the EU's top exporter at €458.3 million, followed by Germany (€336.7 million) and Spain (€319.4 million). On the import side, Germany led at €299.9 million, followed by France (€273.2 million) and Spain (€173.2 million). The least specialised members — Malta, Hungary and Romania — recorded negligible activity in this category.

Conclusion

Over the 2015–2025 decade, the EU's trade in lac, gums, resins and vegetable extracts grew substantially in value terms, reaching €1.65 billion in exports and €1.40 billion in imports by 2025. This growth was predominantly price-driven, particularly on the export side, reflecting the EU's position as a processor and re-exporter of higher-value products. The import supply base shifted towards Asia (China, India) and the African Sahel (Chad, Sudan), while export markets remained anchored by the United States but diversified geographically. Trade concentration increased on the import side, raising potential supply-chain risk considerations, especially for the vegetable extracts segment (CN 1302) which dominates the category. The sharp decline in exports to Russia and the emergence of Viet Nam as a volatile new supplier illustrate the sensitivity of this trade to geopolitical and market shocks. Looking ahead, EU producers are likely to continue benefiting from global demand for natural ingredients, while import diversification will remain an important strategic priority.