2023-05-19 11:32:00
329 euros: this is the price asked, on average, to farmers for renting a hectare of plowed land in Belgium in 2022 on a yearly basis.
According to figures published this Tuesday, May 16, 2023 by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, the price of rents (i.e. the amount that the tenant pays annually to the owner for the use of his land for agricultural purposes) of plowed land has increased by 83% in 25 years.
In a country where access to land is becoming an increasingly important problem for growers, the latter have seen rental prices soar since 2013, when they were still paying “only” €257/ha. And the situation is hardly better in the other agricultural fields. And for good reason…
The price per hectare of agricultural land in 2020? €30,521!
Even permanent meadows, although a little more accessible, are subject to a huge increase in their rental price. Between 1998, when one hectare traded at €166/ha, and 2022, when breeders had to pay €287/ha, these pastures were rented 73% more expensive on average for the year.
“In 10 years, the price of rents for plowed land has increased by 32.7% and that of grassland by 20.1%”, further specifies Statbel.
In 30 years, 16,000 fewer farms in Wallonia: here are the detailed figures by municipality
Although they are a little better off than their Flemish colleagues, where plowed land can be rented for nearly €425/ha per year, Walloon farmers also have to deal with a significant increase in the price of rent.
On average, in the south of Belgium, it is necessary to count 252 euros (+2 euros compared to 2021) for one hectare of plowed land and 234 euros (+4 euros compared to 2021) for the same area in permanent grassland.
Wallonia: one agricultural hectare trades for 35,000 euros on average in 2019
More locally, in Wallonia, where we have seen 16,000 farms disappear in 30 years, two provinces nevertheless manage to offer more affordable prices than the others: Luxembourg and Namur.
In the green province, plowed land (€196/ha) is even the cheapest in the country. The Famenne and the Jurassic region (Arlon and its surroundings) are also the two most accessible types of soil, unlike the Condroz, where the land is the most expensive in Wallonia, or even the polders (Western Flanders) whose rental prices for plowed land are gradually approaching 500 euros.
| Agricultural regions | plowed land | Permanent meadows |
|---|---|---|
| Dunes Polders | 471 €/ha | 428 €/ha |
| Sandy region | 450 €/ha | 365 €/ha |
| Campine | 400 €/ha | 264 €/ha |
| Sandy loam region | 382 €/ha | 344 €/ha |
| silty region | 318 €/ha | 294 €/ha |
| Grassland region (Liège) | 311 €/ha | 287 €/ha |
| Campine hennuyère | – | – |
| Condroz | 238 €/ha | 227 €/ha |
| High Ardennes | 217 €/ha | 207 €/ha |
| Grassland region (Fagne) | 190 €/ha | 179 €/ha |
| Famous people | 163 €/ha | 144 €/ha |
| Ardennes | 201 €/ha | 185 €/ha |
| Jurassic region | 173 €/ha | 156 €/ha |
1684506104
#rental #price #plowed #land #increased #years #Belgium #expensive #cheapest #agricultural #regions