Agriculture & fishery
According to the final estimate of the agricultural crop production in 2018, the production of winter wheat has remained relatively stable compared to 2017 (-3 %), while the production of winter barley has decreased by almost 18 %. Other crops have also recorded a significant decrease of their production: -13 % for sugar beets and, particularly, -31 % for potatoes. For both crops, the drought of last summer has led to a significant drop in yields.
Less cereals and industrial crops in 2018
The agricultural area in Belgium has increased by 21,806 ha, or 1.64 %, according to the provisional agricultural results of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. This rise is almost entirely due to the increase of the area of green fodder (+13,744 ha) and permanent pastures (+8,513 ha).