Archive:Enlargement countries - agriculture, forestry and fisheries statistics

Data extracted in February 2020.

Planned article update: June 2021.

Highlights

In 2018, the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to value added in the EU candidate countries and potential candidates varied between 6.5 % in Turkey and 21.0 % in Albania, compared with 1.8 % in the EU-27.

In 2018, the combined utilised agricultural area for the EU candidate countries and potential candidates was 46 million hectares, equivalent to 29 % of the total for the EU-27.

Cereal production in the EU candidate countries and potential candidates in 2018 was just over one sixth of the level in the EU.

Enlargement countries - share of employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing (NACE Rev. 2), 2013 and 2018

This article is part of an online publication and provides information on a range of statistics for the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors of the European Union (EU) enlargement countries, in other words the candidate countries and potential candidates. Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey currently have candidate status, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo* are potential candidates.

The article provides an overview of recent developments in the enlargement countries, presenting indicators such as the relative importance of agriculture, forestry and fishing in terms of their contribution to gross value added and employment. It also provides more detailed data on agricultural land use, agricultural production, livestock populations and meat production, as well as trade in food, live animals, drinks and tobacco.

Full article

Gross value added and employment

The share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in value added is considerably higher in candidate countries and potential candidates than in the EU-27

The relative weight of agriculture, forestry and fishing in terms of the contribution of these activities to gross value added was 1.8 % in the EU-27 in 2018 (see Figure 1). This was considerably smaller than in any of the candidate countries and potential candidates among which Turkey recorded the lowest share at 6.5 %. In North Macedonia, these activities contributed close to one tenth of gross value added (9.8 %), with Albania recording an even higher share, at 21.0 %.

Figure 1: Share of gross value added from agriculture, forestry and fishing (NACE Rev. 2), 2008 and 2018
(% of gross value added)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_a10)

In 2018, the relative contribution of agriculture, forestry and fishing to gross value added in the EU-27 was marginally smaller than it had been in 2008 (1.9 %). Equally, most candidate countries and potential candidates recorded a decline in their shares of value added from these activities. The largest fall — down 8.6 percentage points between 2008 and 2018 — was recorded in Kosovo. By contrast, in Albania an increase of 1.6 percentage points was observed.

Employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing in the EU-27 accounted for 4.2 % of the total number of persons employed in 2018 (see Figure 2); this was 2.3 times the contribution of these activities to total value added. The long-term reduction in the proportion of the total EU-27 workforce employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing continued, falling by 0.8 percentage points between 2008 and 2018.

Figure 2: Share of employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing (NACE Rev. 2), 2013 and 2018
(% of employment)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_egan2)

Among the candidate countries and potential candidates, Kosovo (3.5 %) recorded the lowest employment share for agriculture, forestry and fishing, while the 8.0 % share in Montenegro was the only other one below 10.0 %. By contrast, around one seventh to one fifth of the workforce was employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing activities in 2018 in most of the other candidate countries and potential candidates, although in Albania this share was much higher, at 37.4 %.

Land use

Close to half of North Macedonia’s and Turkey’s area is used for agriculture

The area that is used for agriculture varies according to climate, terrain and soil type, while the level of economic development and population density may also play a role in determining land use. Within the EU-27 roughly equal amounts of land (around two fifths of the total area) are used for agriculture and for forestry, with the remainder generally composed of built-up areas (villages, towns and cities), infrastructure (roads or railways), scrub or waste land.

The utilised agricultural area (UAA) refers to the area that is actually used for agricultural purposes. In 2018, the combined utilised agricultural area for the candidate countries and potential candidates was around 46 million hectares, equivalent to around 29 % of the total for the EU-27. Among the candidate countries and potential candidates, Turkey had by far the largest utilised agricultural area, some 38 million hectares. Relative to their total area, North Macedonia and Turkey recorded the highest proportions utilised for agricultural purposes, close to half (49.7 % and 48.5 % respectively) — see Figure 3. In Serbia (45.0 %) and Albania (40.8 %), the share was also over two fifths. In Kosovo (38.5 %), the share of utilised agricultural area was similar to that in the EU-27. Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded an agricultural share of the total area that was around one third (34.8 %), while Montenegro registered by far the lowest share, less than one fifth (18.6 %).

Figure 3: Utilised agricultural area, 2008, 2013 and 2018
(% of total area)
Source: Eurostat (apro_cpnh1) and (reg_area3)

Agricultural production

The production of cereals in candidate countries and potential candidates was just over one sixth of the level in the EU-27 as was the production of sugar beet

The production of cereals in the EU-27 was 274 million tonnes in 2018. The combined harvest for the candidate countries and potential candidates was around 48 million tonnes, equivalent to 17.7 % of the output of the EU-27 (see Table 1). A similar situation could be seen for sugar beet, where the combined production of the candidate countries and potential candidates was also equivalent to 17.7 % of the EU-27 total, with production concentrated almost exclusively in Serbia and Turkey.

Table 1: Agricultural production, 2008, 2013 and 2018
(thousand tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (apro_cpnh1) and (apro_mk_farm)

Crop production levels can fluctuate substantially from year to year as a result of climatic/weather conditions and variations in demand. Apart from in North Macedonia, production of cereals was higher in 2018 than in 2008 in all of the candidate countries and potential candidates, as it was in the EU-27. There was however a reduction in sugar beet production in Serbia (down 5.3 % over the period under consideration), while Turkey registered an expansion (up 12.6 %) as did the EU-27 (up 16.6 %).

The level of raw milk available on farms (which may include milk other than cows’ milk) in the EU-27 was 8.0 % higher in 2018 (157 million tonnes) than it had been in 2013 (145 million tonnes). The latest information for the candidate countries and potential candidates shows that Turkey had by far the highest milk production (22 million tonnes) and was the only candidate country or potential candidate to report a larger increase in milk production between 2013 and 2018 (up 21.4 %) than did the EU-27.

Climatic and cultural/religious particularities in the candidate countries and potential candidates are reflected in their livestock production and slaughtering

In 2018, the number of cattle in the EU-27 was 77.8 million, some 2.7 million fewer than there had been in 2008, a fall of 3.3 %. Comparing the same years, North Macedonia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina reported little change in cattle numbers, while Turkey reported an increase of 56.9 %. Elsewhere among the candidate countries and potential candidates, the cattle population declined over this period: it was down 13.6 % in Albania and 16.9 % in Serbia, and down by more than one fifth in Montenegro (21.7 %) and Kosovo (24.3 %). By 2018, the total number of cattle in the candidate countries and potential candidates was 19.4 million, equivalent to 25.0 % of the EU-27 total.

Table 2: Livestock population, 2008, 2013 and 2018
(thousand heads)
Source: Eurostat (apro_mt_lscatl), (apro_mt_lspig), (apro_mt_lssheep) and (apro_mt_lsgoat)

Cultural particularities explain many of the differences in the structure of livestock rearing in the EU-27 and candidate countries and potential candidates (see Table 2). For example, the Turkish population is largely Muslim and as such many members of the population abstain from eating pork; the same is true in some areas of the Balkans, most notably in parts of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. Whereas in the EU-27 there were more pigs than cattle, among the candidate countries and potential candidates this situation was only repeated in Serbia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Collectively, the number of pigs in candidate countries and potential candidates in 2018 — 3.8 million — was equivalent to just 2.6 % of the EU-27 total.

Turkey alone reported 46.1 million sheep and goats in 2018 and the combined total for the candidate countries and potential candidates was 53.2 million. As such, the number of sheep and goats in candidate countries and potential candidates was relatively high when compared with the number in the EU-27, slightly more than two thirds the estimated level (precise recent data are not available for the EU). In relation to the number of cattle and pigs, the number of sheep and goats was particularly high in Albania and Turkey, while it was relatively low in Kosovo and Serbia.

The livestock figures shown in Table 2 are, unsurprisingly, reflected in the meat production figures in Table 3, notably in the relatively low level of pig meat production in some candidate countries and potential candidates. The quantity of pig meat produced in the EU-27 in 2018 was 3.3 times the level of output from cattle. Among the candidate countries and potential candidates, a higher ratio was observed for Serbia where pig meat production was 4.6 times as high as the level of meat production from cattle, while in North Macedonia the ratio was 2.9. By contrast, less pig meat was produced than meat from cattle in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo, as well as in Turkey where pig meat production was negligible.

Table 3: Slaughtered animal production, 2008, 2013 and 2018
(thousand tonnes)
Source: Eurostat (apro_mt_pann)

Among the four types of meat production shown in Table 3, pig meat had the largest share in Serbia (62 %) and North Macedonia (58 % of the total). The highest shares of meat production from cattle were recorded in Kosovo (88 %) and Montenegro (61 %) and from poultry meat in Bosnia and Herzegovina (76 %) as well as in Turkey (67 %). In Albania, a more balanced pattern of production was observed, with all four types of meat accounting for at least 10 % of the total, with meat from cattle (41 %) and from sheep and goats (32 %) registering the largest shares.

Trade in food, live animals, drinks and tobacco

Note that the values of imports and exports shown in Tables 4 and 5 are presented in current prices. Fluctuating prices for raw and processed food may have a considerable impact on the trade position of a country, while climatic/weather conditions can determine if there is a surplus of food for export or the need for more imports.

Table 4: Imports of food, live animals, drinks and tobacco, 2009-2019
(million EUR)
Source: Eurostat (ext_st_eu27_2020sitc) and (ext_lt_intercc)

The EU-27 consistently recorded a trade surplus in food, live animals, drinks and tobacco products over the period 2009-2019; note that the trade data presented for the EU-27 in Tables 4 and 5 concern extra-EU trade only.

Serbia and Turkey both recorded trade surplus during the entire period from 2009 to 2019. By contrast, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo recorded trade deficits for food, live animals, drinks and tobacco throughout the period shown.

Table 5: Exports of food, live animals, drinks and tobacco, 2009-2019
(million EUR)
Source: Eurostat (ext_st_eu27_2020sitc) and (ext_lt_intercc)

Collectively, exports of food, live animals, drinks and tobacco from candidate countries and potential candidates were valued at EUR 18.9 billion in 2019, equivalent to 11.6 % of the EU-27 total, while the value of imports of these goods into the candidate countries and potential candidates was EUR 14.6 billion, equivalent to 12.4 % of the EU-27 total.

The highest value of exports of food, live animals, drinks and tobacco in 2019 among the candidate countries and potential candidates was recorded in Turkey (EUR 14.8 billion), which was nearly four fifths of all the food, live animals, drinks and tobacco exports from the candidate countries and potential candidates. Serbia was the only other candidate country or potential candidate with such exports valued in excess of EUR 1.0 billion, while exports of food, live animals, drinks and tobacco from Montenegro and Kosovo were valued at less than EUR 60 million.

Exports of food, live animals, drinks and tobacco from Montenegro were around one quarter (23 %) higher in 2019 than they had been in 2009, the smallest overall growth rate among the candidate countries and potential candidates. Between 2009 and 2019, such exports from North Macedonia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina increased by more than two thirds (70 % and 72 % respectively). Turkey and Serbia saw their exports of these products more than double (up 106 % and 124 % respectively), while the value of exports from Kosovo almost trebled (up 195 %). The largest relative increase was recorded for Albania, as its exports of food, live animals, drinks and tobacco were 5.6 times as high in 2019 as they had been in 2009.

Source data for tables and graphs

Enlargement countries — agriculture, forestry and fishing: tables and figures

Data sources

Data for the enlargement countries are collected for a wide range of indicators each year through a questionnaire that is sent by Eurostat to candidate countries or potential candidates. A network of contacts has been established for updating these questionnaires, generally within the national statistical offices, but potentially including representatives of other data-producing organisations (for example, central banks or government ministries). The statistics shown in this article are made available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website, together with a wide range of other socio-economic indicators collected as part of this initiative.

The situation for international trade statistics is somewhat different, as more detailed international trade statistics are available from Eurostat’s Comext database.

All statistics presented in this article as monetary values in euro terms are based on current price series.

The utilised agricultural area describes the area used for farming. It includes arable land, permanent grassland, permanent crops (such as orchards, olive trees 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 and estimates for production outside of slaughterhouses.

Tables in this article use the following notation:

Value in italics	data value is forecasted, provisional or estimated and is therefore likely to change;
:	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 there have been wide ranging reforms, which have led to a range of new objectives designed to correct imbalances and overproduction.

In December 2013, the latest 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).

While basic principles and institutional frameworks for producing statistics are already in place, the enlargement countries are expected to increase progressively the volume and quality of their data and to transmit these data to Eurostat in the context of the EU enlargement process. EU standards in the field of statistics require the existence of a statistical infrastructure based on principles such as professional independence, impartiality, relevance, confidentiality of individual data and easy access to official statistics; they cover methodology, classifications and standards for production.

Eurostat has the responsibility to ensure that statistical production of the enlargement countries complies with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. To do so, Eurostat supports the national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics through a range of initiatives, such as pilot surveys, training courses, traineeships, study visits, workshops and seminars, and participation in meetings within the European Statistical System (ESS). The ultimate goal is the provision of harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards. Additional information on statistical cooperation with the enlargement countries is provided here.

Notes

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.