Wageningen, The Netherlands
July 2, 2012

The export value of agricultural and horticultural products grew by 9% in 2011, but incomes in the agricultural sector fell sharply. The number of agricultural businesses fell in 2011 to just over 70,000, the environmental impact of the parties within the agricultural sector is highly variable, and a larger proportion of income is being spent on food. These are some of the conclusions in the report Landbouw-Economich Bericht 2012 (Agricultural Economic Report) by LEI Wageningen UR. This annual report offers an explanatory overview of developments in the Dutch agricultural sector and compares them with the country's economic and political developments.

The recession has had less of an effect on the agricultural complex than on Dutch sectors in general. The agricultural complex's added value rose over the past few years, while the total Dutch economy shrank by 1%. Over the past years, logistics in particular grew in importance within the agricultural complex, because more and more products are being brought in from outside the Netherlands. The number of jobs in logistics has even increased, whereas most other components of the agricultural sector have seen the number of jobs decrease.

Website: http://www.wur.nl

Published: July 2, 2012