The region has been named as the number one exporter of manufacturing goods in the UK outside London and achieved the strongest growth across the Northern Powerhouse.

According to the latest figures, in Yorkshire in 2017 for every 10,000 residents, there were 22 exporting companies – more than anywhere else in the Northern Powerhouse. The region also saw a surge of 14% in exports between 2016 and 2017 – the strongest growth in the North.

With almost 10% of Yorkshire’s workforce employed in manufacturing, the region has seen some major investments such as Siemens UK investing £200m in a state-of-the-art factory Goole, and Sirius Minerals’ innovative mineral transport system in Wilton generating billions of pounds in exports.

Yorkshire has also seen the highest proportion of exports destined for Sub-Saharan Africa in addition to more than the UK average of exports heading to the Caribbean and Latin America.

The region’s export success is partly due to the wide variety of goods and products it produces across a diverse range of industries, from traditional farming to advanced manufacturing. In 2017, exports of food and animals were valued at nearly £1 billion, with exports from the sector growing by 11.6% between the first quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018.

The region also houses the headquarters of Tata Steel, Northern Monk Brewery Co and Northern Foods as well as having a world-renowned farming industry and iconic household brands like Fox’s Biscuits and Cravendale Milk.