World Grain - October 2022 - 16

COUNTRY FOCUS
KEY FACTS
FOCUS ON
GERMANY
Country has strong influence
on EU agricultural policy
by Chris Lyddon
Germany has the largest economy and the largest population of any
European Union country, and it plays a key role in the formation of
European agricultural policy. Its reliance on Russian gas for energy,
and farm inputs, has proved problematic and controversial since the
Russian attack on Ukraine.
In its Aug. 18 Grain Market Report, the International Grains
Council (IGC) put Germany's total 2022-23 grains crop at 42.5 million
tonnes, a forecast revised down from 42.6 million since the previous
month's report, and up on the 2021-22 figure of 42.3 million.
The wheat crop is forecast at 22.1 million tonnes, an unrevised
figure that compares with 21.5 million in 2021-22. Maize output is
seen at 4.3 million tonnes, also unrevised, and down from 4.5 million
the previous year.
The barley crop forecast, at 10.4 million tonnes, is unchanged both
from the previous estimate and the previous year's output. The crop
of oats is forecast at 700,000 tonnes, unchanged from the IGC's previous
prediction and down from 800,000 the year before.
Germany is the world's biggest producer of rye, with a forecast
crop of 3.1 million tonnes, which had not been updated since the
previous month's report and compares with a 2021-22 crop of 3.2
million tonnes.
Production of rapeseed in 2022-23 comes to 4 million
tonnes, according to the IGC's latest figure,
which is revised up from the previous
estimate of 3.8 million. The previous
year's crop was 3.5 million. Rapeseed,
harvested earlier than wheat,
for example, was less affected by
Europe's record hot summer
than the grains.
The German farmers' union
DBV issued a preliminary
estimate for the 2023
harvest on Aug. 23, putting
the total crop at 43 million
tonnes, which it compared
with a figure of 42 million
for the 2022 harvest, pointing
out as well that the total is
below the 2014-21 average crop
of 45.6 million tonnes, despite the
16
Capital: Berlin
Population: 84,316,622 (2022 est.)
Religions: Roman Catholic 26.7%, Protestant
24.3%, Muslim 3.5%, other 4.8%, none 40.7%
(2020 est.).
Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic
Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands
and Poland, south of Denmark.
Government: Federal parliamentary republic.
Chief of state: President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
(since March 19, 2017); head of government:
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (since Dec. 8, 2021).
Economy: The German economy - the fifth largest
economy in the world and Europe's largest
- is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles,
chemicals and household equipment. It benefits
from a skilled labor force, but, like its Western
European neighbors, faces demographic challenges
to sustained long-term growth. Low fertility
rates and an increase in net immigration are
increasing pressure on the country's social welfare
system and necessitate structural reforms.
Reforms launched by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
(1998-2005), deemed necessary to address
high unemployment and low average growth,
contributed to strong economic growth and falling
unemployment. These advances, as well as
a government subsidized, reduced working hour
scheme, help explain the relatively modest increase
in unemployment during the 2008-09 recession
- the deepest since World War II. Stimulus
and stabilization efforts initiated in 2008 and
2009 and tax cuts introduced in Chancellor Angela
Merkel's second term increased Germany's
total budget deficit to 4.1% in 2010, but slower
spending and higher tax revenues reduced the
deficit to 0.8% in 2011, and in 2017 Germany
reached a budget surplus of 0.7%. Following
the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Merkel announced
that eight of the country's 17 nuclear
reactors would be shut down immediately and
the remaining plants would close by 2022. Germany
plans to replace nuclear power largely with
renewable energy, which accounted for 29.5% of
gross electricity consumption in 2016, up from
9% in 2000. Before the shutdown of the reactors,
Germany relied on nuclear power for 23% of its
electricity generating capacity.
GDP per capita: $50,900 (2020 est.); inflation:
1.4% (2019 est.); unemployment: 4.9% (2019 est.).
Currency: Euros (EUR): 1.02 euros equal 1 US
dollar (Sept. 22, 2022).
Exports: $1,671,650,000,000 (2020 est.) note:
data are in current year dollars: cars and vehicle
parts, packaged medicines, aircraft, medical cultures/vaccines,
industrial machinery (2019).
Imports: $1,452,560,000,000 (2020 est.) note:
data are in current year dollars: cars and vehicle
parts, packaged medicines, crude petroleum,
refined
petroleum,
(2019).
Agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.) of GDP and 1.4% of
the labor force.
Internet: Code: .de; 74,844,784 (2020 est.) users.
Source: CIA World Factbook
October 2022 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
medical
cultures/vaccines
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - October 2022

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