Structure and features of the French economy. Industry and agriculture in France Employment of the population by sectors of the French economy

Agriculture is the industry most patronized by the state, although its basis is private land ownership. The decisive share of production is provided by large farms (with an allotment of 20-100 hectares), but small and medium-sized ones predominate numerically. In terms of production, France ranks first in Western Europe and third in the world after the United States and Canada. It is the largest European producer of wheat, butter, beef, cheese (more than 400 varieties). More than 50% of the production comes from animal husbandry (cattle breeding). The share of wines in exports is traditionally high. French farmers are the main opponents of the introduction of genetically modified products in Europe, as French products are traditionally highly valued for their quality.

France is the largest agricultural producer in Western Europe. Agriculture, as of 2010, accounted for approximately 2.2% of GDP and 3.8% of the country's labor force, but contributed 25% of output in the EU. A characteristic feature of the socio-economic structure is the rather small size of farms. The average land area is 28 hectares, which exceeds the corresponding indicators of many EU countries. There is great fragmentation in land ownership. More than half of the farms exist on their own land. Large farms are the leading force in production. They provide more than 2/3 of products, occupying a dominant position in the production of almost all branches of agriculture.

In agriculture, group forms of farming have become widespread. The most important place among them is occupied by cooperatives, primarily for the use of agricultural machinery. Cooperatives operate in all areas of production. In winemaking, they provide 50% of production, 30% of canned vegetables, over 25% of meat trade, over 40% of dairy products. In the mid 1960s. agricultural production associations appeared, which arose as an expression of the desire of small and medium-sized producers to withstand the onslaught of big capital.

Agriculture is managed both through a system of state specialized bodies and through a number of mixed companies, mainly of a sectoral nature. State regulation is carried out mainly through economic impact. There is a specialized bank "Credit Agricole" with local branches, the Fund for Economic and Social Development. The European Fund for Agricultural Orientation has a great influence on the development of structural policy. Stimulating methods of state influence are used both to expand the production of individual crops, strengthen the structure of farms, and reduce overproduction.

The leading industry is animal husbandry, which accounts for 2/3 of the value of agricultural products, France is the first producer of barley and sugar among Western countries, the second - wheat, wine and meat. Traditionally, such industries as viticulture, horticulture, and oyster fishing are known.

Agriculture is highly industrialized. In terms of equipment saturation, the use of chemical fertilizers, it is second only to the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Technical equipment, improvement of farming agriculture has led to an increase in the country's self-sufficiency in agricultural products. For grain, sugar, it exceeds 200%, for butter, eggs, meat - over 100% [8.340].

Feature of the national economic complex. France has a significant share of the public sector in it. 25% of the employed population work at state enterprises. State monopolies control 25% of industrial production. Foreign monopolies play an important role in the development of the country's economy.

France is a highly developed post-industrial country with a powerful agro-industrial complex. However, in structure. GNP share of industrial products is several times higher than the share of agricultural products.

Industry

characteristic trend of industrial development. France in recent years are the high pace of development of industries that determine. NTP. For this, the country has highly qualified personnel, transport communications, and new technological equipment. A significant role is played by industries processing agricultural products.

Since own energy resources. France provides less than half of its own needs, the fuel industry focuses mainly on imported raw materials. The share of mined hard coal in the country's energy supply is approximately 9%. Oil refineries process about 60 million tons of crude oil. Oil comes from countries. Persian Gulf and North. Africa, natural gas from. Algiers.

The nuclear power industry is especially developed, according to the level of development of which. France ranks second in the world after. USA, and in terms of the share of generated energy at. Nuclear power plants (more than 85%) - the first place in the world. Nuclear power plants operate mainly on their own uranium, the extraction of which is about 1.5% of the suite.

Ferrous metallurgy c. Lorraine, where the old factories are located, is in a state of depression. Now it in the country is almost completely focused on imported raw materials and fuel, and therefore the enterprises of this industry t gravitate towards seaports and regions where cheap hydroelectric power is produced. The country has a developed non-ferrous metallurgy, especially aluminum and lead-zinc. The first focuses on its own raw materials - bauxite (south of France). The country ranks fifth in lead production in the world.

Mechanical engineering is the country's leading industry. France is famous in the world market as a manufacturer of competitive products, especially diesel locomotives, electric locomotives and electronic products, household electrical appliances. The automotive industry stands out in particular. For the production of passenger cars. France ranks fifth in the world. The country is a leader in the manufacture of bullet trains. In terms of TV production, it is in the top ten among the countries of the world.

In. The aerospace industry has gained great importance in France. The third country in the world launched its own artificial satellite into space. Earth. It has its own spaceport. An important industry - shipbuilding, has recently been in a state of depression.

Most machine-building enterprises are concentrated in the region. Big. Paris. Lyon,. Marseille, industrial centers of the north of the country

The chemical industry has reached a high degree of development, especially such branches as the chemistry of organic synthesis and basic chemistry. They specialize in the production of polymers, synthetic fibers, mineral fertilizers, rubber, plastics, perfumes, medicines, and caustic soda (the fifth largest in the world). Chemical industry enterprises are guided by raw materials (Lorraine, Alsace), cheap electricity; the main chemistry is concentrated in the refinery center.

Among the branches of light industry in. France is in the lead in clothing and textiles. The country ranks third in the production of textiles. Europe. Textile industry enterprises are located in most of the large and medium-sized cities of the country.

Among the branches of the food industry, winemaking is of great importance, which is concentrated in. Eastern and. Southwestern regions. France is the largest producer in. Europe butter, cheese, meat

Agriculture

Agriculture. France in terms of total agricultural production ranks first among European countries, and second only to the world. USA and. Canada. A large share of it is produced by small farms (up to 20 hectares of land). However, in the face of increased competition from countries. The EU is becoming increasingly important large farms, which enjoy the support of statevi.

The structure of agriculture is dominated by animal husbandry. Grain farming is the leading one in agriculture. Wheat occupies 1/4 of arable land, and its yield is 60 centners per 1 ha. The annual harvest of one hundred and new wheat is about 40 million tons (fourth place in the world), and of all grains - 60 million tons. Of other crops, corn and barley are important. The main wheat growing areas are the northeast. France, kuk urudza and wheat - southwest. Among industrial crops, sugar beet stands out in the northern part, and sunflower in the southern part. In some areas, flax, rice, potatoes, hops, tobacco, color and olive are grown. Among fruit orchards, apple orchards predominate, especially in the northwest. France has a high level of development of viticulture and vegetable growing. In terms of grape production, it comes only in the world. Italian women of Italy.

leading livestock industries. France is cattle breeding of meat and dairy direction, pig breeding and sheep breeding. It is predominantly concentrated in Western and. In the central regions, animal husbandry is characterized by a high level of intensity. Northern and. In the Parisian districts, hunting is a branch of specialization of the districts located along the Atlantic coast.

Transport

. Transport complex. France is one of the most Europe Rail transport ranks second in terms of freight turnover, although its importance has recently been declining. The length of the railway tracks - more. 3000 km, half of them are electrified 4

The leading role is played by road transport, which transports most of the passengers and goods. The country is provided with a dense network of high quality roads "their length is the longest in Europe - about 900 thousand kilometers.

The country has many pipelines that stretch from seaports to. Paris and. Strasbourg. Waterways. France have a length of almost 7 thousand km

Maritime transport plays a leading role in foreign trade. France, is important in cabotage

Air transport annually transports more than. 3 million passengers. The largest center of air transportation is. Paris

Foreign economic relations

One of the most important forms of economic relations. France with foreign countries is the export of capital, which markedly exceeds foreign capital investments (USA, countries. EU). According to the level of external commodity yoke. France is also one of the world leaders.

The country's exports are dominated by finished products of industry and agriculture, namely: equipment, cars, chemical products, consumer goods. For the export of products of the chemical industry. F. France ranks third in the world, and grain crops - second, second only. USA.

Imports are dominated by industrial raw materials, equipment for various industries, cars, fuel and energy resources

Approximately 2/3 of foreign trade. France accounts for countries. European. Union. Significant state revenues from international tourism, as well as transport and other services

France is one of the leading countries of the Western powers, ranking seventh among all countries in the world - 4.7% of total GDP with 1% of the population. In terms of territory (551 thousand square kilometers) and population (57 million people), it is one of the largest countries in Europe. In terms of economic development, it is inferior to Germany and a number of small countries (Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Luxembourg). France accounts for 17% of industrial and 20% of agricultural production in Western Europe.

In the 1980s France's economic development was characterized by slow growth, massive unemployment, and abrupt changes in the main directions of state regulation. The structural crisis of the world economy, the transition to a new type of reproduction had a strong impact on industrial production. After the crisis of the 1980s, the French industry restored its level of production only in 1986.

France's position in the world economy has somewhat weakened (1980 - 5.7% of the world's GDP). The country's share in the industrial production of the OECD countries decreased from 6.6 to 5.7% in the 1980s. Reduced export opportunities. The unemployment rate has exceeded 10%. The French industry is still underspecialized, having difficulty adapting to rapidly changing market demand. The relatively low efficiency of the production apparatus is associated with the historical features of the development of the economy, which in the 50-60s. mainly focused on the domestic market, and in foreign relations a large place was occupied by developing countries, mainly within the former colonial empire. An important role in this process was played by the dominance of the credit sector in the structure of the economy, which usually shows excessive caution in the implementation of long-term industrial projects.

In France, the processes of restructuring the social structure of the economy, the concentration and centralization of production and capital are actively taking place. One hundred largest companies concentrate over 2/3 of industrial production. In a number of industries, the monopolization of production is approaching its maximum. In ferrous metallurgy, the two largest companies, Unizor and Sasilor, concentrated 70% of steel production, Compani Generale d'Electricite (KZhE), Thomson - 50% of the production of electronic and electrical equipment, Renault and Peugeot - almost all car production. "Peshine-Yuzhin-Kulman" (PYUK) and "Imetal" - almost completely concentrated in their hands the production and marketing of non-ferrous metals.

The processes of concentration and centralization of capital and the restructuring of the French economy occur simultaneously with the process of internationalization of production and capital, which lead to the creation of huge power of TNCs. Thus, Imetal unites 62 companies operating in 25 countries. The automotive company Renault has almost 45% of its production capacity and 25% of its workforce in foreign enterprises, and so on.

The centralization of capital at the national and international level has led to the strengthening of a number of French companies in world production. The chemical company "Pechinet" has become the world leader in packaging products, the printing company "Ashet" has become the leading publisher of magazines in the world, the company "Cable de Lyon" has become the world leader in the production of electrical cables. Thomson Electrotechnical Concern took first place in the world in the production of navigation equipment for aircraft, and in Europe - in the production of consumer electronics. "Imetal" occupies a leading position in the production of lead, zinc, nickel in industrialized countries. In Western Europe, Aerospasial and Dasso-Breguet ranked first and third respectively in the aerospace industry.

The positions of French companies among the largest corporations in Western Europe and the world have been strengthened. The list of the hundred largest companies includes 8 French associations (1961 - 2). France is not only inferior to the leading countries - the USA, Japan, Germany and Britain in terms of the number of largest companies, but also in terms of their turnover. The turnover of the top ten French companies in the manufacturing industry is about 28% of the turnover of the top ten American and 45% of the German ones. 6 French banks are among the 50 largest banks in the world. These are Credit Agricole, Banc National de Paris, Credit Lyonne, Societe Genéral, Group de kesse d'epargne, Financial Company de Paribas.

Banks actively participate in the activities of industrial companies through a system of participation in the ownership of equity capital, using, among other things, holding companies, investment funds, personal unions.

Statistical indicators of France
(as of 2012)

The process of intertwining capital has led to the fact that the entire economy is covered by several financial groups with extensive international ties. These are the Nariba, Soyuz, Rothschild and Ampen-Schneider groups. Financial groups have a serious influence on the formation of economic policy. The interests of the largest companies are defended by the National Council of French Entrepreneurs (Patronat), as well as various sectoral, intersectoral and regional organizations of entrepreneurs, which are powerful levers of pressure on the government.

Small business plays an active role in the country's economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises strengthening their positions in the period of 70-80s. The small sector is very mobile. 30% of registered business units fail after two years, and one in two fails to make it to five years. The number of firms failing is high. An obstacle in the activities of new companies is the lack of accumulation of initial and working capital. The small sector is mainly focused on services and trade.

The functioning of the economic system occurs under the powerful influence of the state on the reproductive process. In terms of the degree of development of the mining and metallurgical complex, which is manifested in the active participation of the state in the regulation and programming of the economy, in the spread of state ownership, France stands out among the largest industrialized countries. In the 80s. there was a change in the main directions of economic policy from diregism to neoliberalism, to the strengthening of the role of the market. Changes in the alignment of political forces at the government level had a great influence on economic policy, which was primarily manifested in the attitude towards the public sector. In 1981, the socialist government nationalized 9 major industrial companies and 36 banks. The public sector began to concentrate 28% of production and 16% of employees. Nationalization contributed to the modernization and financial recovery of these companies, and made it possible to avoid the transfer of some firms under the control of foreign capital.

The bloc of right-wing and center parties that came to power in 1986 adopted a denationalization program for 65 major industrial, banking and insurance companies. The largest banking groups Paribas and Societe Generale, the industrial giants Saint-Gobain, the Company Generale d'Electricite, the financial company Tivas, the military-industrial company Matra, the financial group " Suez."

The remaining public sector understates the basic, infrastructure and manufacturing industries. It provides 70% of energy production, it includes about 60% of transport and communications, over 80% of the aerospace industry, provides 40% of cars, and so on. The public sector is an important tool for economic policy. The renewal of fixed capital and the provision of conditions for reproduction in many branches of the economy are directly decided by the state.

The regulatory role of the state finds its vivid expression in state programming and planning, which was widely developed in the first post-war years. For this purpose, official bodies were created, among which the Plan Commissariat stands out. The developed plans focused the French economy on the development of new technologies, restructuring, and strengthening of scientific research. The state is actively involved in the development of R&D. It accounts for more than half of the national funding for research and development. The state seeks to close the existing gap in scientific and technical potential between France and other leading countries.

Since the second half of the 80s. in the economic policy of the government, issues related to the creation of a single EU market were put forward as a priority. These include structural reforms, the implementation of a system of taxation and social security in accordance with the level of the Community. Structural features of the economy affect the position of France in matters of integration. It usually advocates the regulation of those industries where its competitive position is not high.

The government reduced state regulation of the economy and stimulated the private sector. To this end, currency control, price controls were abolished, taxes were reduced, and benefits to companies were increased. One of the cornerstones of economic policy has been the containment of wage growth, which has kept consumer spending at a moderate level, and the rate of profit has reached the level of the early 70s.

Industry of France

Under the influence of scientific and technological revolution, there are significant changes in the sectoral structure of the economy. The importance of industry, which accounts for 26.7% of GDP, has declined (32% in 1980). In industrial production, the share of engineering products increased (up to 31%), mainly due to growth in the electrical and electronic industries and, to some extent, in general engineering. This structural shift was accompanied by a reduction in the share and, in fact, curtailment of production in traditional industries. However, in France, the share of "old" industries is still quite high, the products of which cannot withstand competition on the world market from similar products of some Western and especially "new industrial countries". A large place is occupied by the food industry (12%). Only the UK has this share.

In terms of the share of products of engineering industries in industrial production, France lags behind the leading countries. The greatest lag is noted in the branches that are carriers of scientific and technical progress and ensure the modernization of the production apparatus on the basis of the latest technology. This is primarily in the production of machine tools, a number of branches of industrial electronics and computer science, microelectronics. France accounts for only 8.9% of the total production of advanced technology goods of the eleven most developed countries (Germany - 11%, Great Britain - 7.8%). It lags far behind the leading countries in the production of metal-cutting machine tools and forging and pressing equipment, yielding to the Federal Republic of Germany and Japan in terms of total volume by about 8 times. The production structure of the machine tool industry is characterized by a relatively low proportion of progressive types of metalworking equipment.

The leading place in the structure of industrial production is occupied by general engineering (12%) and transport (10%). The automotive industry is one of the foundations of the national industrial structure. The two largest companies in the country - the private Peugeot-Citroen and the state-owned Renault - provide respectively 4 and 5% of the world production of passenger cars. French companies rank second in the world, after Japan, in the production of power equipment for power plants. France remains the leading force in Western Europe's rocket industry. The Arianspace project secures the country's leading position in commercial satellite launches. It accounts for approximately 50% of the global space market.

The transition to an energy-saving type of production, high dependence on imports of fuel and energy resources caused a reorientation in the energy strategy. The main attention was paid to the development of nuclear energy, as well as alternative energy sources. The accelerated development of nuclear energy has led to a noticeable change in the structure of electricity production in the country. In 1973, nuclear power plants generated 8% of all electricity, thermal power plants - 65% and hydroelectric power plants - 27%, in 1987 the share of nuclear power plants was 76%, the share of thermal power plants decreased to 7%. The development of nuclear energy made it possible to raise the degree of self-sufficiency of France in energy from 25% in 1975 to 50% in 1980 and 58% in 1987. As new nuclear power plants were commissioned and thermal power plants decommissioned using liquid fuel, oil imports decreased .

Agriculture in France

France is the largest agricultural producer in Western Europe. Agriculture accounts for approximately 4% of GDP and 6% of the country's working population, but it provides 25% of the output in the EU.

A characteristic feature of the socio-economic structure is the rather small size of farms. The average land area is 28 hectares, which exceeds the corresponding indicators of many EU countries. There is great fragmentation in land ownership. More than half of the farms exist on their own land. Large farms are the leading force in production. 52% of agricultural land falls on farms larger than 50 hectares, which make up 16.8% of their total number. They provide more than 2/3 of products, occupying a dominant position in the production of almost all branches of agriculture.

In agriculture, group forms of farming have become widespread. The most important place among them is occupied by cooperatives, primarily for the use of agricultural machinery. Cooperatives operate in all areas of production. In winemaking, they provide 50% of production, 30% of canned vegetables, over 25% of meat trade, over 40% of dairy products. In the mid 60s. agricultural production associations appeared, which arose as an expression of the desire of small and medium-sized producers to withstand the onslaught of big capital.

Agriculture is managed both through a system of state specialized bodies and through a number of mixed companies, mainly of a sectoral nature. State regulation is carried out mainly through economic impact. There is a specialized bank "Credit Agricole" with branches in the field, the Fund for Economic and Social Development. The European Fund for Agricultural Orientation has a great influence on the development of structural policy. Stimulating methods of state influence are used both to expand the production of individual crops, strengthen the structure of farms, and reduce overproduction.

Agriculture is highly industrialized. It is second only to the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Denmark in terms of saturation with machinery and the use of chemical fertilizers. Technical equipment, improvement of farming agriculture has led to an increase in the country's self-sufficiency in agricultural products. For grain, sugar, it exceeds 200%, for butter, eggs, meat - over 100%.

Foreign economic relations of France

The French economy is deeply embedded in the world economy. French companies in the 80s. managed to slightly increase its share in world exports (6.5%) and reduce in imports. Foreign trade is a major factor in economic growth. About 1/5 of its final product in 1970 is exported - 19.4%. In terms of exports, France is second only to Germany in Western Europe. The structure of French exports has certain features. It has a higher proportion of agricultural goods and raw materials - 20%. At present, the liquidating positions in the country's foreign trade are occupied by machinery and equipment (43% of exports and 39% of imports). The largest share in this group of world trade is occupied by civil aircraft, electrical equipment and complete equipment for the construction of large industrial facilities, various types of weapons. In the 80s. France's position in trade in many types of engineering products has noticeably weakened. The share in world exports of passenger cars, office equipment and computer equipment, special industrial equipment, machine tools, and electrical appliances decreased. This is largely determined by the peculiarities of the sectoral structure of the economy and the nature of its specialization in the international division of labor, as well as the decrease in the competitiveness of industry. At the same time, it ranks second in the export of aviation equipment, locomotives, wagons; automobiles, chemical goods - the third place; in the export of military equipment and weapons, France holds the second place in the world after the United States. The three main arms exports are warships, aircraft and military weapons.

In terms of agricultural exports, France lags only behind the United States. More than 1/3 of manufactured products are sold on foreign markets. Agricultural exports are dominated by "mass" products - wheat, barley, corn, dairy products. The share of highly processed products - confectionery, meat products, chocolate, canned food - is lower than in other leading countries.

The export specialization of France is significantly inferior to other large countries. So, in general engineering, only one production belongs to a high level of specialization (jet engines) and a number to a moderate one (pumps, steam engines, nuclear reactors, rotary electric power plants, refrigerators, heating equipment, agricultural machinery).

In the last decade, the import component in the country's economy has significantly increased (21% of GDP), which is associated with the strengthening of the international division of labor and the change in the competitiveness of French goods. The highest share of imports is in the production of engineering and chemical industry products (40-60%). This is largely due to the peculiarities of the development of the country's scientific and technical potential and the introduction of scientific achievements into production. France lags behind its competitors in terms of the share of R&D in GDP (3.3% in 1991, while the FRG had 3.6%). A characteristic feature of research activity is its military orientation. The share of funds allocated for military research reaches 19% of all R&D expenditures, and for the FRG - about 5%.

France conducts research on a wide range of topics. In a number of them, it occupies leading positions - nuclear power, aviation technology, communications equipment, and some types of industrial electronics. In others, computer science, electronics, and biotechnology are far behind. At present, the electronics, aerospace, automotive, chemical and pharmaceutical industries account for more than 60% of industrial R&D spending. At the same time, in such industries as general engineering, metalworking, the food industry, and others, these costs are insignificant. In mechanical engineering, the share of R&D costs is much lower than in other leading industries.

Many French companies treat the EU market as their own. Over 60% of exports go to EU countries. This is the largest share among the four leading countries in Western Europe. The main trading partner of France in this region is Germany, which accounts for 16% of exports and 20% of imports. In second place is Italy (12%). Among other countries, the United States is an important trading partner (6.1% of exports). The share of developing countries in the country's trade has declined, including the share of Africa from 13.3 to 7.4% in the 80s. The disadvantage of the geographical structure of foreign trade is the significant orientation of exports to countries with slowly expanding markets. French companies are making great efforts to expand their foreign economic expansion. An important means of it is the export of capital. France accounts for 5% of the total foreign direct investment. At the same time, in the 1980s share has been reduced.

The export of capital has noticeably reoriented towards industrialized countries, where the main object of capital investment is Western Europe, but its importance has decreased. In 1960, Western European countries accounted for 86.4% of French direct investment, and in 1986 their share dropped to 57%. During the same period, the share of the United States increased sharply - from 5.4% to 36.5%. In the 80s. French companies came in sixth place among foreign investors in the United States. Basically, their investments are concentrated there in the old industries - metallurgy, coal, chemical, oil industries and the production of car tires. In Western Europe, the bulk of French capital is invested in Germany and Great Britain.

Approximately 30% of total direct investment is concentrated in developing countries, which is higher than the share of other countries. The African continent has previously held and continues to occupy a special place. It accounts for over 50% of French investments in the Third World. They are mainly concentrated in the countries of the franc zone. In addition to primary industries, investment is carried out in manufacturing industries through the establishment of assembly or autonomous enterprises with a focus on the local market.

France is also a major importer of capital. The leading place among foreign firms is occupied by American (48%). The investments of each individual European country are significantly inferior to them.

A large influx of foreign capital began in the 1960s. The share of foreign firms accounts for more than 1/4 of the total turnover and about 1/3 of commodity exports. Foreign capital is concentrated in the key, newest branches of industry, where it often occupies a leading position. So, in the oil refining industry, it controls 52% of the industry's turnover, in the chemical industry - 55%, in agricultural engineering - 50%, in the production of computers and informatics - 49%, in precision instrumentation - 36%. Most foreign investment is in large enterprises, many of which are among the top ten firms in the industry. In the production of computers, the leading position is occupied by the American IBM and Honeywell, in agricultural engineering - by International Havester, Caterpillar, Deer & Co.

Economic assistance plays an important role in ensuring the foreign economic expansion of companies in the foreign markets of developing countries. Due to financial support from the state, companies compensate for their weakness in the development of foreign markets. In terms of aid, France is second only to the United States and Japan, and in terms of its share in GDP, it surpasses all leading countries.

Despite the increasing importance of multilateral assistance due to France's EU membership, priority remains with bilateral assistance. In the context of the restructuring of the economies of the winding countries and the strengthening of the processes of internationalization of productive forces, the volume of technical assistance has increased, which has become an important means of ensuring the activities of TNCs in the manufacturing industries. As before, a significant part of aid goes to the construction of infrastructure facilities, but the share of agricultural and manufacturing industries is increasing. France maintains fairly stable economic relations with the Russian Federation. In exports, the main place is occupied by machinery and equipment, chemical and agricultural products. France imports fuel and raw materials from the Russian Federation.

Trade and payments balance of France is traditionally reduced to a negative balance. The deficit is formed mainly due to minerals, some chemical and consumer goods, including consumer electronics. In the last decade, the balance of trade in manufactured goods has worsened. Large gaps are being formed in trade with the FRG and Japan.

France acts as a net importer of technological advances. The deficit of transactions on patents and licenses in some years exceeds half of the negative balance of the country's foreign trade. In turn, 73% of the total deficit of technical exchange falls on the share of such industries as electronics, chemistry, computer science, 60% of French spending on the purchase of patents and licenses goes to the United States.

In the field of foreign economic policy, priority is given to the development of exports of import-substituting industries. Along with the idea of "a new conquest of the domestic market", the idea of a "new conquest of the Western European market" was put forward.

France starts with learning French: private lessons, all levels.

Agriculture in France is the most state-controlled area. This is the main feature of the agrarian complex, although it is based on private land ownership. Bank "Credit Agricole" and the Fund for Economic and Social Development support producers by providing financial assistance. The European Fund for Agricultural Orientation has a great influence on structural policy.

Stimulating methods of state influence are used to expand land, strengthen the structure of farms, and reduce overproduction.

French agriculture level

The French Republic is the largest country in Western Europe in terms of territory. Its total area is 674,685 km2 (together with overseas possessions). In the west and north it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south - by the Mediterranean Sea. The population density is 106.3 people per 1 square kilometer.

France is the largest producer of agricultural commodities in Europe. The share of its products in the EU is 25%. The agro-industrial sector is quite highly developed. In terms of equipment, the use of chemical fertilizers, the country is inferior to Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

The land fund includes:

arable land;
pastures;
forest areas.

The share of agriculture is 4% of GDP, and 6% is the country's labor resource in this area. A distinctive feature of the French economy is a large external debt, unemployment, strong dependence on the state. Despite the problems, the country continues to compete with the economically developed countries of the world. In terms of agricultural production, France ranks 1st in Western Europe.

Neighbouring countries

The agro-industrial complex of Belgium does not play a big role in the country's economy. The leading industry is meat and dairy farming. Vegetable growing and horticulture, fishing and brewing are well developed. About 600 brands of beer are produced here.

Luxembourg is the richest industrial country; traditional sectors of the economy are developed here: animal husbandry, horticulture, viticulture. The country is famous for its vineyards on the Moselle River. Animal husbandry provides 93% of the value of agricultural products.

The efficiency of German agricultural production is significantly higher than the EU average. In terms of agricultural output, grain and livestock production, it is second only to France. The country's self-sufficiency in milk and beef exceeds 100%. Cultivated: wheat, corn, beets. Vineyards and orchards are located in Southern Germany.

Switzerland subsidizes more than 70% of its agriculture, which is based on animal husbandry. In the first place is the production of milk, which is almost completely processed into cheese. Switzerland provides itself with wheat, and meat and dairy products are produced in excess. In the southern regions are grown: grapes, apricots, apples.

Crop production is the main branch of agriculture in Italy, it accounts for 60% of all production. Here they grow: wheat, corn, rice, sugar beets. This country fully supplies Europe with citrus fruits, tomatoes, grapes, olives and oil from them. Italy is a traditional rival of France in wine production.

Monaco is a dwarf European state. Land resources are almost absent here, the agricultural sector occupies 6% of industry. In small quantities grown: sugar cane, coconut palms, yams. The country imports food entirely.

One of the powerful European producers is Spain. It is the third in the world in wine production, the fourth in citrus. It has a quarter of the world production of olives and olive oil. The basic industry is crop production. Cultivated: wheat, barley, many kinds of vegetables. In the south are grown: almonds, dates, figs, cotton. By catch of fish and seafood, Spain is among the top ten countries in the world.

Andorra is a dwarf state in the south of Europe. Sheep breeding and goat breeding are developed here. The main part of food is imported, only 2% of the land is suitable for cultivation. Potatoes and tobacco are grown.

The predominant branch of agriculture in the UK is meat and dairy farming. England is the largest supplier of sheep wool. Arable lands are occupied by grain and fodder crops. The British agricultural complex is one of the most productive in the world. Employment in this area is 2% of the total in the country.

Large enterprises and farms

The leading role in the French agricultural sector belongs to large farms. They provide more than 2/3 of the products and have a dominant position in all sectors of the complex. The most powerful associations and the main production are concentrated in the north and west of the country. In large farms, the labor of agricultural workers is used.

By the number of harvesters in operation, France occupies one of the first places among the countries of Western Europe. Combines, especially self-propelled ones, are used on large farms or are intended for collective use by neighbors (as part of mutual assistance) or cooperatives for the joint use of agricultural machinery.

One of the characteristic features is the development of the cooperative movement. French farmers are actively uniting, and their collectives account for 70% of the grain harvest, half of the milk yield, and 40% of dairy products. Cheese, snail and oyster farms are common.

Brief description of the main economic centers of the country:

The fertile land of Lower Normandy gives excellent crops of wheat, beets, and alfalfa. The region has apple orchards and ranks first in milk production.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is a large agricultural center, where many canning factories are located. Here they grow: almonds, olives, figs. The region is known for flower plantations. Fertilizers are produced in Avignon.
The Champagne-Ardenne region is one of the centers of winemaking. Livestock breeding is also developed here. The industrial industry successfully functions in the region, mechanical engineering is developed, and agricultural machinery is produced.
Brittany is the center of fishing, harvesting and growing seafood. There are many resort settlements in this tourist region.
The east of the country, where the district of Rhone-Alpes is located, is one of the centers of viticulture. The city of Lyon is the capital of silk. Almonds and lavender are grown in this area.

crop production

This industry accounts for more than half of the income of the agricultural sector. Cereal crops are leading in terms of production and export. France produces 36 million tons of wheat annually. This indicator brings it to 1st place in the EU and 4th position in the world. The vegetable industry employs 388,000 hectares of land. The collection of sugar beet provides the country with 1st place in international trade.

The main areas of vegetable growing:

suburbs of Paris;
the coast of Brittany;
Loire Valley, Rhone.

The emphasis is on carrots and tomatoes. Grown: potatoes, asparagus, cabbage, artichokes.

In terms of fruit picking, the republic is second only to Spain and Italy. Fruit growing is concentrated in the Mediterranean regions, in the Loire and Garonne valleys. Apples, peaches, pears are bred here.

In the southern regions, almonds, figs, and olives are cultivated. In terms of the harvest of apricots, France holds 1st place in Europe.

Winemaking plays a significant role in the agricultural sector. About 450 large family farms and thousands of small ones are engaged in it. The main viticulture area is Languedoc, which has 300,000 hectares of vineyards. He owns more than 30% of the wine produced in the country. Areas of production of vintage wines: Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Rhone. 1/5 of the wine is exported, the main importers are Germany, England, the USA.

animal husbandry

This industry has a meat and dairy direction. Breeding of cattle is the most developed specialization in the field of animal husbandry. In terms of the number of cattle (24 million heads), France surpasses all countries of Western Europe. Breeds are widely known: Charolais, Limousin, Normandy. The main center of cattle breeding is the North-West of the country.

Leading regions for beef production:

Vendée;
Lower Normandy;
Limousin.

There are 10,000 large enterprises engaged in pig breeding. The total livestock is 11 million heads. Brittany is the main area for pig breeding, as milk and potatoes are produced here, which are used for fattening. Only Germany is ahead of the country in terms of the number of manufactured products.

The main sheep breeding region is the Kos Plateau in the Massif Central. The total number of sheep is 12 million heads, but it is constantly declining. The problem is that the meat specialization is replacing the wool direction. The industry is experiencing an internal crisis. An important product of sheep breeding is cheese, therefore great importance is attached to the production of sheep's milk.

The French Republic is the European leader in the production of "white meat". There are 3,000 large farms in Brittany, where 90% of chicken meat and eggs are produced. Large farms have close ties with industrial enterprises. Well-known industrialists such as: "Group Du", "Bourguin", "Guyomar".

Floriculture

In some regions of the country there are flower plantations, the products of which are supplied to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. There are such landings on the Mediterranean coast, in the Loire Valley.

Floriculture is an important industry specialization in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The city of Grasse is considered the world capital of perfumers. This is a clean climatic zone where the best raw materials for the perfumery and cosmetics industry are produced. Provence is rich in flowers and aromatic herbs. Here they grow: jasmine, lemon, geranium, rose, violet, rosemary.

The famous brand of this area is the lavender fields. A lot of products are made from lavender, from soap to food.

Oyster farming

The industry is specific to France. The total annual production is 130 thousand tons. This puts the country in 1st place in Europe and 4th in the world. The geography of the oyster fishery is changing. The main oyster farms are in Lower Normandy, in the Gulf of Marenne and in the Arcachon Basin.

The town of Arcachon is considered the oyster capital of the world. The first imperial oyster parks appeared here at the beginning of the 19th century. In the lagoon basin, on an area of 1800 hectares, 18,000 tons of shellfish are produced per year. Every year, more than 3 billion young oysters are supplied to farms in Brittany, Normandy, and Charente. Surrounding the lagoon are oyster ports.

In recent years, an increase in pollution of coastal waters has been recorded. Unfortunately, the main reason for this is the activity of the population of the region.

Other economic branches

One of the most highly profitable items in the economy is roizvodstvo wine, especially cognac. Most of the produced alcoholic products are exported. This is especially true for expensive varieties, for example, various Bordeaux brands.

France is considered the country of cheese making. In total, there are up to 400 types of this product. Cheese production has been developed since ancient times in such regions as Normandy, Corsica, the Alps and the Massif Central. Today, in almost all areas of France, cheeses are made from cow, sheep or goat milk, either individually or mixed.

Economic partners

The main trading partners of France are the EU countries: Germany, Belgium and Italy. France's external economic relations also include: Spain, Great Britain, the USA, the Netherlands, China. Expansion of cooperation with Asia is expected.

From France, exported abroad mainly: transport and equipment, aircraft, plastic, products of the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, steel, wine, grain, food.

France is the first in Europe in terms of agricultural output. In terms of its exports, the country ranks second in the world after the United States. In total, agricultural producers in France export about 20% of their products. The best lands are owned mainly by large enterprises that use hired labor and advanced agricultural technology. It is they who provide the bulk of the output of marketable products.

Leading industries

The processing industry occupies a significant place in the country. Agricultural producers are the main suppliers of raw materials for it.

Leading Industries:

Food. Presented small enterprises located in small towns and rural areas, that is, in areas where raw materials are produced. It is the most important, the number of people employed in it is 585 thousand people. It ranks second after aviation products in terms of export. Leading industries: meat, dairy, cheese-making, flour-grinding, canning, bakery, production of fine wines (Bordeaux, Anjou, Burgundy, Cahors), cognacs.
Light. The textile industry is of the greatest importance. It is characterized by small volumes of production, allowing you to quickly respond to customer requests.
Perfumery and cosmetic. Producers often use extracts and aromas of plants grown on their own plantations to make creams, shampoos, lipsticks, perfumes. Perfumes are distinguished not only by high quality, durability and exquisite aromas, but also by unique properties: they fully “reveal” the bouquet of aromas only when they come into contact with the skin.

Development prospects

Thanks to the diversity of crops and large land area, France is one of the first places in the world in terms of exports of agricultural products. The productivity of the agricultural industry is growing thanks to automation, the use of new feeds, fertilizers, and care methods. The main national feature of the French agrarian complex is the diversity of production.

It is expressed in the following phenomena:

a high level of development of both agriculture and animal husbandry;
a combination of different areas of agriculture;
diversified nature of animal husbandry.

It follows from this that the sectoral structure of agriculture has changed over the past decades. In order to maintain a high level of economic development, it is necessary to continue expanding cooperation between the private and public sectors in the field of innovation and reduce the tax burden.

Economic importance

IN currently the agricultural sector of the French economy highly efficient and diversified ( expanding the range of products and developing new types of production). It is the backbone of a powerful industrial sector - the food industry. The agrarian complex fully meets the country's needs for food, actively participates in international trade. 1/3 of agricultural goods are exported.

The technical equipment and improvement of the agricultural culture of farms has led to an increase in the level of self-sufficiency in products, and in some positions - to their surplus.

Video

The video clip contains a report from an oyster farm in the south of France.