Archive:European Neighbourhood Policy - East - agriculture statistics

Data extracted in April 2021.

Planned article update: June 2022.

Highlights

In 2019, the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to value added in the ENP East countries varied between 13 % in Armenia and 6 % in Azerbaijan, compared with 2 % in the EU.

In Armenia, employment in agriculture, forestry and fisheries as a share of the total fell from 39 % in 2009 to 22 % in 2019.

Ukraine produced more cereals (excluding rice) for the production of grain (including seed), potatoes and oil seeds in 2019 than any of the EU Member States.

This article is part of an online publication and provides a description of the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in the European Union (EU) and in the six countries that together form the European Neighbourhood Policy-East (ENP-East) region, namely, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Data shown for Georgia exclude the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia over which Georgia does not exercise control and the data shown for Moldova exclude areas over which the government of the Republic of Moldova does not exercise control. The latest data for Ukraine generally exclude the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the territories which are not under control of the Ukrainian government (see specific footnotes for precise coverage).

The article focuses on several aspects: the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fishing to the total economy (in terms of gross value added and employment), the production of cereals, livestock populations, meat production and international trade in food and live animals.

Full article

Gross value added and employment

Between 2009 and 2019, the gross value added and employment shares of the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector generally declined in the ENP-East countries (subject to data availability), although there were increases in the value added shares in Moldova and Ukraine and in the employment shares in Belarus (2010-2019). These activities continued to account for a relatively high proportion of total economic activity in the ENP-East countries. While the output of agriculture, forestry and fishing in the EU accounted for 1.8 % of total gross value added in 2019, its share ranged from 6.3 % in Azerbaijan to 13.3 % in Armenia (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Gross value added from agriculture, forestry and fishing, 2009 and 2019
(% share on total gross value added)
Source: Eurostat (enpe_nama_10_a10) and (nama_10_a10)

In 2019, the employment share of the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in the total workforce was 11.1 % in Belarus — the lowest proportion among the ENP-East countries — while more than one third in Georgia (38.2 %) and Azerbaijan (36.0 %) were employed in this sector. As such, the proportion of people working in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Georgia was nine times as high as in the EU where 4.1 % of the working population were employed in these activities (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 2009 and 2019
(% share on total employment)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_egan2)

Crop production

Compared with the other ENP-East countries, Ukraine had by far the highest level of cereals (excluding rice) for the production of grain (including seed), potatoes and oil seeds production (see Table 1). Indeed, Ukraine produced more cereals (74 million tonnes), potatoes (20 million tonnes) and oil seeds (22 million tonnes) in 2019 than any of the EU Member States. When comparing to 2009, the production of cereals in Ukraine increased by 64 % in 2019, while the production of oilseeds more than doubled. In comparison, the production of potatoes remained relatively stable (+3 %).

Moldova also reported a large increase (+63 %) in the production of cereals and potatoes (+137 %) in 2019 compared to 2009. However, in the same period, the production of potatoes substantially dropped (-32 %).

Armenia (wheat, rye and barley only) and Georgia were the smallest producers of cereals among the ENP-East countries in 2019, each recording a level of output below half a million tonnes. Cereals production in Armenia decreased substantially in 2019 compared to 2009 (-47 %), while in Georgia, it remained relatively stable (-1 %).

These two countries plus Moldova were also the smallest producers of potatoes among the ENP-East countries in 2019. These three countries registered substantial drops in the production of potatoes between 2009 and 2019.

Azerbaijan was the only country, with Ukraine, to register increases in the production of cereals, potatoes and oilseeds from 2009 to 2019. In particular, the production of oilseeds more than doubled.

Table 1: Harvested crop production, 2009, 2014 and 2019
(thousand tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (enpe_apro_cpnh1) and (apro_cpsh1)

Livestock: population structure and production

The structure of livestock populations in the ENP-East countries is presented in Figure 3. Collectively, there were more cattle than pigs in the ENP-East countries in 2019, while in the EU the opposite pattern was observed. Farmers in Belarus were specialised in raising cattle, while in Azerbaijan the most common form of livestock was sheep; in Georgia and Armenia the number of cattle was similar to the number of sheep. Moldova (no data for sheep and goats) and Ukraine reported a higher number of pigs. Goats were the most significant in Azerbaijan. Some of these differences between countries may reflect religious practices.

Figure 3: Livestock population, December 2019
(% share on total number of heads)
Source: Eurostat (enpe_apro_mt_ls), (apro_mt_lscatl), (apro_mt_lspig), (apro_mt_lssheep) and (apro_mt_lsgoat)

The structure of animal output — as measured by the quantity of slaughtered production — differs from the structure of the animal populations, in large part due to the fact that a proportion of cattle, sheep and goats are reared for milk rather than for meat. In Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, cattle accounted for the highest quantity of slaughtered production in 2019, while in Moldova the largest quantity of slaughtered production was from pigs and in Belarus and Ukraine it was from poultry (see Table 2).

Compared to 2009, the levels of poultry slaughtering increased substantially in all ENP-East countries, the most noticeable being for Belarus where it more than doubled in 2019 (from 220 thousand tonnes to 527 thousand tonnes). The quantity of slaughtered pigs also substantially increased in 2019 compared to 2009 in most of the ENP-East countries. The exceptions were Azerbaijan (-38 %) and Belarus (-1 %). Regarding cattle, the situation is more balanced with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine which decreased substantially (-24 %, -32 % and -19 % respectively), while Armenia (+37 %), Azerbaijan (+35 %) and Belarus (+7 %) showed a positive trend.

Table 2: Slaughtered animal production, 2009, 2014 and 2019
(thousand tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (enpe_apro_mt_p) and (apro_mt_pann)

Trade in food and live animals

The value of international trade in food and live animals has grown at a rapid pace over the last decade in most of the ENP-East countries; note this may, in part, be due to increased prices as the values shown in Tables 3 and 4 are presented in current price terms. Fluctuating prices for raw and processed foodstuffs may have a considerable impact on the trade position of a country, while climatic conditions can affect yields and determine if there is a surplus of food for export.

Table 3: Imports of food and live animals, 2009-2019
(million EUR)
Source: Eurostat (enpe_ext_sitc) and (ext_st_eu27_2020sitc)

When Table 3 and Table 4 are compared it can be seen that the EU moved from a position of recording a trade deficit for food and live animals products in 2009 to a consistent trade surplus over the period 2010-2019; note that the trade data presented for the EU concern extra-EU trade. Ukraine recorded a trade surplus for food and live animals throughout the period 2009-2019, rising from a surplus of EUR 1.7 billion in 2009 to a surplus of EUR 9.1 billion in 2019. Belarus also recorded a trade surplus throughout the same period, with a peak at 1.4 billion EUR in 2019. Moldova moved from recording a deficit between 2009 and 2013 to a surplus between 2014 and 2019. In contrast, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia recorded trade deficits during this 10-year period.

Imports of food and live animals to Armenia were four times as high in 2019 as their level in 2009, while imports from Azerbaijan were three times as high, imports to Belarus, Georgia and Moldova doubled. For comparison, imports to the EU nearly doubled during the same period.

Collectively, the exports of food and live animals from ENP-East countries were valued at EUR 18.7 billion in 2019, equivalent to 15.0 % of the value for the EU, while the value of imports of these goods into the ENP-East countries was EUR 10.6 billion, equivalent to 9.9 % of the EU value.

Table 4: Exports of food and live animals, 2009-2019
(million EUR)
Source: Eurostat (enpe_ext_sitc) and (ext_st_eu27_2020sitc)

The highest value of exports of food and live animals in 2019 among the ENP-East countries was recorded in Ukraine (EUR 12.7 billion), which was almost three times the level of exports from Belarus which recorded the second highest level. Georgia and Armenia had the lowest levels of exports of food and live animals among the ENP-East countries in 2019, EUR 254 million and EUR 286 million respectively.

Exports of food and live animals from Armenia were almost nine times as high in 2019 as their level in 2009, while exports from Belarus and Ukraine were three times as high (despite the change in geographical coverage for Ukraine), exports from Moldova were two and a half times as high. For comparison, exports from the EU doubled during the same period, as was also the case in Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Source data for tables and graphs

European Neighbourhood Policy — East countries — agriculture: tables and figures

Data sources

The data for ENP-East countries are supplied by and under the responsibility of the national statistical authorities of each country on a voluntary basis. The data that are presented in this article result from an annual data collection cycle that has been established by Eurostat. These statistics are available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website, together with a range of different indicators covering most socio-economic areas.

The utilised agricultural area describes the area used for farming. It includes arable land, permanent grassland, permanent crops (such as orchards and vineyards) and other agricultural land such as kitchen gardens.

Statistics on crop production relate to harvested production. Cereals include wheat (common wheat and spelt and durum wheat), rye, maslin, barley, oats, mixed grain other than maslin, grain maize, sorghum, triticale, and other cereal crops such as buckwheat, millet, canary seed and rice.

Meat production is based on the activity of slaughterhouses regarding meat fit for human consumption.

The data for the EU presented in this article come from Eurostat‘s online database, including trade data from Comext.

Tables in this article use the following notation:

':' not available, confidential or unreliable value

Context

Agriculture was one of the first sectors of the economy (following coal and steel) to receive the attention of EU policymakers, and statistics on agriculture were initially designed to monitor the main objectives of the Common agricultural policy (CAP). While the CAP remains one of the EU’s most important policies it has undergone a widespread evaluation, which has led to a range of new objectives designed to correct imbalances and overproduction.

In December 2013, a reform of the CAP was formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. The main elements of the CAP post-2013 concerned: a fairer distribution of direct payments (with targeted support and convergence goals); strengthening the position of farmers within the food production chain (such as through: the promotion of professional and inter-professional organisations; changes to the organisation of the sugar and wine sectors; revisions to public intervention and private storage aid; and new crisis management tools); and continued support for rural development, safeguarding the environment and biodiversity.

In January 2015, the European Commission initiated a review of the legal basis related to agriculture in order to identify the potential for simplification. A broad range of interested bodies were invited to put forward simplification proposals and more than 1 500 proposals were submitted and examined based on the following three principles:

simplification should be predominantly for the benefit of the CAP beneficiaries;
the political decisions of the 2013 reform should not be questioned;
simplification should not jeopardise the sound financial management of the CAP.

A number of actions have been taken, for example introducing more flexibility, providing greater guidance, or introducing preliminary cross checks of aid applications to reduce the risk of penalties.

The European Commission has presented legislative proposals — at the time of writing there remain under discussion — for reforming the CAP beyond 2020 (with the goal of ensuring that the CAP is more responsive to challenges such as climate change or generational renewal, while continuing to support farmers for a sustainable agricultural sector).

On 18 November 2015, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission jointly presented a review of the European Neighbourhood Policy (SWD(2015) 500 final) which underlined a new approach for the EU in relation to its eastern and southern neighbours, based on stabilising the region in political, economic, and security-related terms.

In cooperation with its ENP partners, Eurostat has the responsibility ‘to promote and implement the use of European and internationally recognised standards and methodology for the production of statistics, necessary for developing and monitoring policy achievements in all policy areas’. Eurostat undertakes the task of coordinating EU efforts to increase the statistical capacity of the ENP countries. Additional information on the policy context of the ENP is provided here.