EU: agricultural income falls more than 4%
The European Statistical Office (Eurostat) has released the first estimates of real agricultural income per AWU in constant terms in the European Union (EU) in 2015. As for all its 28 member states has fallen an average of 4.3 %, particularly for Germany, Poland and the UK, although with greater largest increases in Croatia, Latvia and Greece, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture indicated that it has rise for farmers by 3.8%.
In premature forecasts of agricultural income in 2015 is Croatia in the EU country where more has increased (+ 21.5%) as the indicator for UTA in constant terms, known as A flag, which is the indicator for harmonized EU. Here is Latvia (+ 14.3%), Greece (+ 12.1%), France (+ 8.8%) and Italy (+ 8.7%). Eurostat numbers about Spain are the Spanish state itself provided: 3.8% is the value of agricultural income in constant terms.
European countries with agricultural importance have experienced more significant declines in income are Germany (-37.6%), Poland (-23.8%), Denmark (-19.7%), Britain (-19, 3%) and Romania (-19.2%). The European farmers on their farms have suffered falling farm incomes by 5.7% in 2010-2015, mainly Germany, Poland and Romania.
Producers of Italy and Ireland are the exception more growth.
The value of agricultural production fell by 2.5% in nominal terms in 2015, by the decrease in animal production (-5.9%) in sectors such as milk and pork. Plant production falls very little (-0.3%), although it is stressed in the sugar beet and grain corn. The decrease in production costs by 2.4% is due to the behavior of energy and fuel (-10%) and feed (-3.7%).
Agricultural income in Spain
According to the first estimate of the evolution of the main economic figures and the value generated by the activity of the agricultural production in 2015, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the estimated value of agricultural income for this year is 22,170.5 million euros in current terms, representing an increase of 1.7% over 2014. Meanwhile, the value of the agricultural income per annual work unit (AWU) increased by 4.4% in terms currents, and 3.8% in constant terms.
The increase in agricultural income is mainly due to the good performance of the plant production branch, with an increase in value of production of 5.8%. This increase is determined by the significant rise in prices (+ 13.3%), especially for fruit (+ 7.7%) and vegetables (+ 18.6%), since the quantities produced are reduced 6.7%.
The Ministry points out that farm income has grown despite the decline experienced in the production of the olive sector (-52.2%), caused by the weather conditions of last season and the characteristics of this crop, with alternating strong seasons reduced crops and other crops. Of this decrease had not occurred in production, income growth would have been much higher.
Meanwhile, the income of the animal branch fell by 1.5% compared to 2014. In this case, the increased production by 4.8% (mainly due to cattle and hogs) has been offset by a 6% decrease in perceived prices.
Meanwhile, the behavior of intermediate consumption has remained stable, with an increase of 2.5% for the increase in consumption (+ 2.7%) and a slight decrease in price (-0.3%). This increase in consumption is mainly determined by feed (+ 6.8%) required in a context of increased livestock production.
Source: Eurostat. Magrama
