Provisional accounts for agriculture for 2016 Fall in production

In 2016, the value of agricultural production, including subsidies, declined sharply: the drop in volumes was accompanied by a fall in prices. For crop production, this loss in value is due mainly to the downturn in volumes, especially cereals (–23.9%) and, to a lesser extent, wine (–9.0%); for cereals, in a context of bumper harvests globally, prices also declined considerably (–9.2%). For animal production, the decline is mainly due to the fall in prices, especially that of milk (–7.0%).

At the same time, farmers’ expenses were reduced for the third consecutive year. However, this does not make up for the drop in the value of production. As a result, the value added of the agricultural sector fell back sharply. Agricultural employment also continued to decline. All in all, according to estimates from the provisional accounts for agriculture, the gross value added at factor cost per worker looks set to decline by10.9% in 2016.