Industry

The Food Chain Contract is a mutual commitment between firms and public authorities, including farmers, craftsmen, distribution centers, and industrial unions. The Food Chain Contract is based on proposals created during the Regional Conferences launched by the French government last September. For five months, professionals in the field collaborated and shared their ideas at nearly […]

Since the 50’s, French agriculture has had to face new challenges. Before World War II, farms were small and agriculture represented 35% of the French active population and the priority was self-sufficiency. Today, thanks to the common agricultural policy and the creation of a new economic market, agriculture has undergone major changes. I. Structure of […]

The second round of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations started the week of November 11th, 2013. Agriculture will be an important issue in the discussion between the United States and the European Union. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, French Minister of Agriculture, Food Industry and Forestry, Stéphane Le Foll […]

Average farmer income was $39,700 in 2013 in France, a decrease from 16.4% compared to that in 2012. Farm income is estimated using the Earning before Interests and Tax per worker. The main cause is the continuous increase of farm inputs costs (animal feed, fertilizers, pesticides), whereas the value of agricultural production is stagnating (only […]

The French seed sector can attribute much of its excellent international reputation to good climate conditions, crop diversity and bountiful output. During the 2012-2013 campaign, the sector exported 1.9 billion dollars’ worth of seeds, a whopping 15% increase from the previous year. These figures make France the world’s number one seed exporter, placing it ahead […]

Agrifood business is of great importance for the French economic growth and employs almost 6% of the French population. France is the 4th largest exporter of agricultural and agrifood products and has to face new upcoming challenges. At the end of 2013, the Ministry for Agriculture asked for a strategic reflection on the direction that […]

Fish farming has a long history in France. In the Middle Ages, French monks were breeding fishes in lakes and ponds. When artificial reproduction for salmon trout was established at the end of the 19th century, French salmon aquaculture soared. Around the world, fishing captures are capped to 90 million metric tons (mt) since the […]

A network of 18 Wholesale markets (« Marché d’Intérêt National » – MIN) organizes the distribution of fresh products in France. It represents 35% of the French food distribution market. What is a MIN? MINs were created in 1953 after World War II in conditions of food scarcity. They allowed for the modernization and efficiency […]

Over the past 40 years, the number of corporate agricultural organizations in France has increased from 1% to 30% of the total number of farms. Farmers and ranchers get involved in a corporate organization of farms for many reasons: division of labor, optimization of production, protection of private wealth, integration of capital providers, and the […]

The French agrifood industry is one of France and Europe’s most important economic sectors, and the French Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood and Forestry’s office of Statistics and Studies has just released a comprehensive fact sheet, breaking down the industry piece by piece and examining what makes it so unique. In addition to the figures presented […]