The agricultural sector has brought in 6.7 percent more money this year than in 2022. This increase in income is mainly due to higher average sales prices. At the same time, costs for the sector fell.
Production of agricultural goods in 2023 was 2.1 percent lower than a year earlier. This decline was minimal in livestock farming and arable farming, but was more visible in horticulture. Animal production decreased by 0.7 percent, vegetable production decreased by 3.3 percent.
The production value, the total value of everything produced, of the entire sector amounted to 35.8 billion euros. About 0.7 percent less than last year.
Despite the declining volume, there was more income. The value of the goods and services required for agricultural production fell by 5.1 percent and sales prices rose by an average of 1.4 percent. This leaves more money for the agricultural sector at the bottom line.
According to Statistics Netherlands, agricultural income increased by 6.7 percent. The increase in profit required more labor. The number of full-time jobs increased by an average of 1.9 percent.
The decrease in costs was most noticeable in fertilizer, compound feed and energy. Prices for gas and electricity fell by almost 20 percent, but are still high. These costs had increased by more than 200 percent in 2022 due to high energy prices due to the war in Ukraine.
In 2023, more cattle, but fewer pigs and poultry, were sent to the slaughterhouses than a year earlier. The production volume of agricultural animals fell as a result. The pig herd fell by 11.9 percent in the Netherlands. In many other European countries, pig slaughter also shrank.
This caused pig prices to rise by 30.8 percent.
There was less production land for potatoes and sugar beets and so the crops were grown less. Potatoes increased by 20 percent in sales price. Cereals did gain ground, but production was disappointing due to a wet spring. The price of grain had also risen sharply due to the war in Ukraine, but fell by 32.5 percent this year.
Another strong decline in price was milk. The milk price was 18.4 percent lower in 2022. Milk production increased by 2.4 percent.