STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN GERMANY

The two most recent horticultural censuses from 1994 and 2005 provide a descriptive analysis of the structural change in the horticultural production sector in Germany. Data on the number of farms, the production area and the labour input are available. Some 34,702 farms were engaged in horticultural production which utilized some 209,703 ha and employed 122,184 full time equivalents. Two thirds of these farms were specialized in horticultural production activities which used 78% of the production area. The fruit and vegetable sectors each have a significant influence on the development of the production structure in Germany. Of the total production area used by specialized farms, 29% are dedicated to fruit and 42% to vegetable production. However, the number of farms producing vegetables decreased by 42% between 1994 and 2005. On the other hand, the production area increased by more than one third to 97,218 ha. The development of specialized fruit producers was similar. In the same period, the number of farms producing fruit and specialized fruit producers decreased by about one third each to 16,594 farms and 7,345 farms respectively. A slight reduction in the production area for specialized fruit producing farms to 46,308 ha was observed, whereas the fruit production area increased by 12% to 82,144 ha. The result of these developments are larger but fewer farms. Comparing the labour input and production area reveals improvements in labour productivity in specialized fruit and vegetable production. Furthermore, horticultural production has become more professional today, due to the concentration of production activities in greater and more specialized farms. It is likely that these developments will continue in the future.