Miller Magazine Issue: 120 December 2019

GERMANY 90 MILLER / DECEMBER 2019 Germany has 83 million of the world’s wealthiest consumers and is by far the most populous and eco- nomically powerful of the European Union’s 28 mem- ber states. The German economy is the fifth-largest in the world and accounts for one-fifth of the Europe- an Union’s GDP. Germany is a major producer of food and agricul- tural products and a leading player in the global mar- ketplace. It is Europe’s second-largest agricultural producer behind France, with agricultural production amounting to 53.1 billion EUR in 2017. The agricul- tural and agri-food sectors are an important part of German economic activity. German agriculture alone produces 0.6% of the country’s wealth and employs 1.3% of workers. The agri-food industry, which in- cludes nearly 6,000 farms, is the fourth largest in- dustrial sector in the country, providing 570,000 jobs. Half of the area of Germany is used for agricultural purposes. With its high degree of mechanization, the level of training of farmers and its yields, German ag- riculture is a successful agriculture that covers about 70% of domestic demand. In recent years, there has been a trend toward the concentration of farms and increasing their size (60.5 hectares on average in 2016 compared to 56 in 2010). After World War II, a farmer in Germany was able to feed ten people. To- day, thanks to scientific and technological progress, the figure has risen to 142 people. Germany is the world’s third-largest exporter of agricultural goods. The German agricultural industry exports about one- third of its products. Grain is grown on about one- third of Germany’s agricultural land. Wheat is by far the leading crop, followed by barley and rye. German consumers are hostile to products con- taining GMOs. It is a leader in the production and consumption of organic products (8.2% of cultivated areas were organic in 2017), and is by far the larg- est market in Europe. In 2017, the organic market reached a record of EUR 10 billion. About a third of German processed foods are ex- ported. German agricultural exports doubled com- pared to 1990 and even quadrupled compared to 1980. The majority of exports are to the EU countries