Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland Fife has welcomed the strong growth which has been seen in Scotch whisky sales.The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said that the value of the industry's exports came in at £1.987 billion in the first half, up 11% from £1.787bn in the opening six months of 2012.The volume of Scotch whisky exports totalled 563 million bottles in the six months to June. This was up by 9%, or nearly 50 million bottles, on the same period of 2012. Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife said: “I very much welcome the strong growth which we have seen in Scotch whisky sales. “The whisky industry is a great asset to Scotland which provides many jobs and it’s extremely good for the economy. “The whisky industry in Scotland has gone from strength to strength in recent years partly due to the UK Conservative Government securing an agreement with Chinese officials which means Scotch Whisky on sale in China can only be sold according to UK rules. “The whisky industry needs a stable economic environment in which to plan and invest. The UK Government has taken a practical step to protect Scotch Whisky and Scottish Conservatives will continue to do all we can to support such an iconic product.”