Belgians grow more maize and less winter cereals

New figures on the agricultural sector were not only published in the Netherlands last week, the so-called 'provisional agricultural results for 2020' were also published in Belgium. The figures from Statbel show, among other things, that the decrease in the area of ​​winter grain is compensated by an increase in the area of ​​maize.

The area of ​​winter wheat decreased by 2020% in 6,2, according to the Belgian statistical service. The acreage of winter barley goes a step further and has decreased by 8,8% this season. Both crops showed a significant increase in 2019. This decrease was somewhat compensated by an increase in the acreage of grain and silage maize. The total acreage of these crops increased by about 10.300 hectares (after a decrease of almost 9.000 hectares in 2019).

The Belgian potato area has remained almost the same between 2019 and 2020: -0,5%. On the other hand, a shift was visible between the regions. For example, the acreage in Flanders fell by 2,6%, while Statbel recorded an increase of 2,2% for Wallonia. There is also a visible shift in the area of ​​early potatoes to storage potatoes. The decline of the sugar beet area continued in 2020 (-1,2%).

Livestock Changes
Declines are not only predominant in arable farming, but also in livestock farming. The Belgian cattle herd is expected to fall by 0,8% this year. This decrease is mainly due to a decrease in Wallonia of 20.498 animals, in Flanders a small increase of 2.236 animals is visible. If we look a little deeper into the figures, it appears that the decrease is largely in the animals of 2 years and older. Within this age group, there is mainly a decrease in the number of animals intended for meat production, because the number of dairy cows has increased.

The pig herd also shows a small increase of 0,3%. In concrete terms, this concerns an increase of 19.239 pigs. The number of piglets under 20 kilos has increased by 2,3%, which is a plus of 37.177 animals. In contrast, the number of fattening pigs decreased by 0,4%. In concrete terms, this concerns a decrease of 18.322 animals. The number of breeding pigs has remained unchanged compared to last year.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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