Agricultural exports have been stable for the first two quarters of this year, around €2.7bn, while packaged or processed food exports have been steady at €8.2bn over the same period, according to the French national statistics institute INSEE.

Over the past two years, imports of agricultural goods have hovered at just over €2bn a quarter.

The change in import levels of packaged or processed foods, however, is startling.

Since the summer of 2005, these food imports have risen by 10% and by the end of the second quarter 2006 had reached €6.5bn.

However, while the value added in this sector has remained more or less constant at around €7bn, the value added in agricultural products has declined from €9bn during the final quarter of 2004 to €8.6bn by the second three months of 2006.A strong euro against the US dollar has worked against producers across the board.

Source: FWi