Insee Première · July 2021 · n° 1868

Provisional Account for Agriculture for 2020 Sharp Fall in Grain Production

In 2020, agricultural production fell in value by 1.9%. In general, the health crisis has had a lesser impact on agriculture than on other economic activities, although the impact on production conditions across the sectors is very real. Its impact on demand is difficult to measure due to the shift to dining at home caused by the lockdown and closure of cafés and restaurants. Weather conditions nevertheless remain the dominant factor in the drop in crop production, in particular grain production (–8.9%). The value of animal production is falling at the steadier pace of 0.9%, with the increase in volumes not entirely offsetting the drop in prices.

Simultaneously, intermediate consumption by farmers fell by 2.0%, primarily as a result of a lower consumption of fertiliser and falls in energy prices. As with production, the added value of the agricultural sector is falling. Overall, according to the estimates of the provisional account for agriculture, the gross added value at factor cost per worker is expected to fall by 3.3% in 2020 in real terms, following on from a drop of 5.1% in 2019.