France is the first country in Europe in terms of agricultural output. According to its export, the country ranks second in the world after the United States: in total, French agriculture exports about 20% of its products. The best land is owned mainly by large enterprises, they use hired labor and advanced agricultural technology. It is these enterprises that provide the bulk of the output of marketable products.
The coastal possessions of the country make it the third marine owner in the world after the USA and England. This gives her great advantages in the development of marine wealth, but in the European Union, France takes only the third place after Denmark and Spain in fishing and seafood. More than half of the country's territory is land that is suitable for agriculture. The third part of the territory is occupied by forests, which make up 25% of the total forest area of the European Union.
French agriculture stands out for the good development of animal husbandry and many branches of crop production. Livestock production accounts for more than half of agricultural products. This industry gives about 3/5 of the cost of marketable products and is located mainly in the north of the country. France continues to remain in Europe in first place in the number of cattle, is the largest producer of meat and dairy products in the EU and this has a great influence on agriculture in Western Europe.
The main cereal crop in France is wheat. According to its fees, the country takes the fourth place in the world after the USA, India and Canada. Of great importance are also corn and barley. In the northwestern part of the country, in addition to them, buckwheat and oats are sown, rye on poor soils of the Central region, and rice is cultivated in the Rhone delta . Potatoes are grown almost throughout France, and sugar beets are planted in the northern French lowlands. Tobacco and hops are grown in the Lower Rhine department, flowers are grown on the Riviera, and flax is cultivated in the Seine-Seine department.
France is widely known for its vineyards; 10-12 million tons of grapes are harvested here annually. 550 grape varieties are planted on 1.2 million hectares (2.2% of the entire country). In accordance with this, French agriculture produces more than 60 million hectoliters of wine per year, and France is the largest supplier in the world. Grapes are grown everywhere in the country, except for the north and northwest, it is used mainly for the production of wines.
However, the role of agriculture in the country is not limited to animal husbandry and wine production. France produces a lot of vegetables and fruits. Many farms have their own small gardens and vegetable gardens, but to supply large cities and Paris, only a few areas grow fruits and vegetables, each of which specializes in its main crops. In Normandy and Brittany, apple orchards grow, in Alsace and Lorraine they collect cherries and mirabelle, in Liman - nuts. Peaches and apricots, olives and almonds are grown in the Mediterranean region, and citrus plantings are constantly growing on Corsica and the Riviera.
Livestock in France has a meat and dairy direction. France ranks third in the world in milk production, and in meat production in fourth place. French agriculture occupies the first place in the world in the number of cattle, and in terms of the number of pigs it is second only to Germany, in terms of the number of sheep it is only slightly behind England and Italy. Cattle are bred in areas where land is inconvenient for farming, but there are favorable conditions for grass growth. This is the north-east of the country and the mountainous regions. And in those areas where corn, potatoes and sugar beets are cultivated, they are also involved in pig farming, since there is a good forage base.