Danish IT exports boom

[Lagirl]

Danish IT exports boom
6-1-2004

Computer technology is set to oust agriculture as Denmark's biggest export item in 2004, the IT Branch Association says

The traditional picture of Denmark as an agricultural country mainly exporting farm products is about to undergo radical change, with information technology (IT) poised to take over as the country's main export already this year, the association says in a new study. This means that computer chips and software will replace bacon and pork as the most important single item in Danish export statistics, daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten writes.

"IT exports are growing at an annual rate of around 10 percent, while agricultural exports are only increasing by half that amount," IT Branch Association director Jakob Lyngsø says. "So it's just a question of mathematics as to when IT overtakes agricultural products as Denmark's chief export item, we calculate that this will take place this year," he says.

In 2002 Danish agricultural exports totalled 7.4 billion euros in value with IT products worth 6.8 billion euros, double the figure for 1996. In 2004 the combined exports of the two categories are expected to exceed 16 billion euros in value.

http://www.cphpost.dk