Market Trends of France Alfalfa Hay Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the France Alfalfa Hay Market according to our research experts:
Growing Acreage under Alfalfa in France
France is one of the major producers of alfalfa and exports the crop after drying it, to a number of different countries, some of which are affected by hot temperatures and long spells of drought. France itself was also affected by drought for in 2017 and 2018 and as a result, many farmers started to actively grow alfalfa in their fields as the grass was not growing naturally. One of the main advantages of alfalfa is that it contains 2,400kgs of protein per hectare which is much higher than soya at 1,000kgs to 1,500kgs of protein per hectare. Alfalfa gains its high content of nutrients and vitamins due to its deep root system that can extend to over 20 feet deep taking in nutrients unreachable by normal root systems. Farmers that grow alfalfa in France receive a subsidy from the European Parliament of around USD 11.18 per tonne. In total, French farmers grow in the region of 67,000 hectares of alfalfa each year and receive approximately USD 8.9 million in subsidies for it. Owing to these factors the production of alfalfa in France has been increasing and is likely to grow further in the years to come.
Alfalfa Exports from France are on the Rise
The growing alfalfa production in France is supporting the rise of exports of the commodity from the country. Alfalfa from France is exported all over Europe and beyond as a high protein feed for mainly cattle and horses. The major importers of alfalfa from France include Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Norway. Belgium accounted for the largest share of exports in 2019 at 22.4% followed by Germany at 16.4% in the same year. By quantities, the country has exported 216,648 metric tons of alfalfa in 2019 which is valued at USD 46,915 thousand. The exports of alfalfa from France is likely to be on the rise since the country is actively increasing the domestic production of the commodity which is likely to grow over the coming years.
