These are important agricultural key figures
Published: Tuesday, Nov 21st 2023, 13:50
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The Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) summarizes the most important figures and developments in the agriculture and food sector in its new agricultural report. The following is an overview:
SWISS EGGS HIGH ON THE COURSE: According to a survey by the market research institute Demoscope, consumers prefer Swiss products, particularly eggs (77%), milk and fresh dairy products (65%), meat and potatoes (58% each). According to the study, respondents opted for Swiss agricultural products primarily because short transportation routes, support for domestic agriculture and high quality are important to them.
DOUBLE THE WALLIS AREA IS USED: In 2022, the total agricultural area in Switzerland amounted to 1,042,014 hectares, which corresponds to around twice the area of the canton of Valais. Of this, 58 percent was natural meadows and pastures, while 38 percent of the agricultural land was used for arable farming. The remaining 4 percent consisted of vineyards and orchards, among other things.
MORE SOYBEANS GROWN: Soybean cultivation has increased significantly over the past ten years and covered an area of 2895 hectares in 2022. Overall, the area under soybean cultivation is still comparatively small, but has almost tripled in ten years. With the increasing demand for Swiss grain legumes, a further expansion of the area is to be expected.
LOWER SELF-SUFFICIENCY BECAUSE OF POOR WEATHER: The level of self-sufficiency in Switzerland fell significantly in 2021 to 52% gross and 45% net. This is the lowest figure since the revision of the food balance in 2007. The main reason for this decline is the lower domestic production of plant-based foods due to the very poor weather in 2021.
MORE ORGANIC, MORE WOMEN: More and more farms are being run by women. However, at 7.2 percent overall, this proportion remains at a low level. In 2022, one in six farms was organic. In total, the federal government registered around 48,000 farms in 2022, more than 500 fewer than in the previous year.
The Agroscope research institute published additional figures on agricultural income on Tuesday.
LESS INCOME: Overall, expenses increased more than income, resulting in a 1.3 percent decrease in agricultural income. It amounted to an average of CHF 79,700 per farm. The main reasons for the decline were the sharp rise in the cost of production inputs and the further fall in prices on the pig market.
The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) also published figures on total agricultural production on Tuesday:
HIGHER TOTAL PRODUCTION: Total production in Swiss agriculture is expected to amount to CHF 11.9 billion in 2023. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to an increase of 2.0%. Gross value added has risen by 4.2% to CHF 4.5 billion. It is made up of the total production of Swiss agriculture minus expenditure on intermediate inputs amounting to CHF 7.4 billion. Intermediate consumption includes animal feed, energy, fertilizer and other inputs.
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