Belgium‘s agriculture industry reported a 0.6% increase in production value last year, compared to 2022, new data from Statbel has found.
Despite this overall stability, the value of cereal production decreased by 25.9% last year, as a result of a fall in cereal prices and lower yields.
At the same time, potato values increased by 31.9%, driven by a better harvest and a higher remuneration for farmers, while industrial crops were up 18.3%.
Production value
Overall, the production value of plant-based products rose by 4.6%, while livestock production value fell by 2.3%, with a particularly sharp 12.4% decline in the value of animal products.
Despite these challenges, the income of production factors increased significantly by 31.9% after accounting for costs and depreciation, as well as taxes and subsidies not directly linked to production. This increase can be largely attributed to an 8.4% reduction in intermediate consumption.
Inflation impacted the price of agricultural impact costs in 2022, with a 16.2% increase in costs between 2021 and 2022. Read more here.
In terms of livestock, provisional figures for September indicate that 68,625 bovine animals were slaughtered during the month. The figures for pigs were notably higher, with 751,358 animals processed. Additionally, the poultry sector reported 25,178,697 chickens slaughtered in September.
Dairy sector production
Elsewhere, in June 2024, Belgium’s dairy sector produced a total of 50.5 million litres of drinking milk, Statbel noted.
The majority of this production was semi-skimmed milk, accounting for 28.0 million litres or 55.5% of the total. Whole milk made up 34.9% of the production, while skimmed milk and buttermilk represented 5.6% and 3.9%, respectively.
Additionally, the sector produced 11.9 million litres of milk drinks and chocolate milk, alongside 23.9 million litres of cream. Fermented milk and yogurt production reached 25.7 million litres. In terms of processed products, 19,261 tonnes of milk powder, 11,438 tonnes of cheese, and 5,632 tonnes of traditional butter were also produced during the month. Read more here.
