Germany ranks second in Europe in agricultural production after France. Livestock production accounts for 80% of marketable products, crop production works for its needs: a larger number of sown areas is reserved for fodder crops than food crops. However, fodder grain is still imported in large quantities, especially corn. German agriculture is a high-intensity production. Here, more fertilizer is applied per hectare of land than in the USA, France and England.
Therefore, our own production satisfies 100% demand for milk, 90% for meat, 85% for sugar and 80% for wheat. The most favorable conditions are created for dairy farming in the foothills of the Alps. Here, in local meadows, about 35% of the country's dairy cows are fed. The dairy direction is also developed in the north of the country in coastal areas. German agriculture pays great attention to pig farming, the country ranks first in Europe in the number of pigs (more than 20 million).
In order to maintain a high profitability of the country's agriculture, crop production is developing as an auxiliary branch of animal husbandry: 40% of the total agricultural area is in meadows and pastures, and oats, rye, potatoes and fodder crops are cultivated for the needs of animal husbandry. Among the crops in agricultural production, the main one is wheat. The main grain belt is located from Schleswig-Holstein on the east coast to the western Cologne-Aachen “bay”. Another belt for growing wheat is the Danube Plain in Bavaria.
Of course, one cannot fail to note the cultivation of barley, which is designed specifically for brewing, it is cultivated in the South-West and in Bavaria. The largest hop plantations are located in these areas. Germany is one of the first places in the world in the cultivation of hops. Beer is considered a national drink here; its consumption per year per capita is about 145 liters. The main task that German agriculture sets itself is to increase its competitiveness in world agricultural production. To this end, the production of high-quality, typically German food products is stimulated, resource-saving technologies are used in agriculture, and the great potential of the agro-industrial complex in the form of renewable energy sources is used.
In terms of agricultural production, livestock and grain production, Germany is second only to France in Europe, and confidently takes first place in milk production. This is also possible due to the fact that the efficiency of agricultural production in the country is much higher than the average level in the European Union. The only agriculture in Germany lags behind is the average yield of sugar beets and corn. State bodies in the field of agriculture of the country decide on the regulation of agricultural markets, on changing the agricultural structure, financing and lending to agriculture.
The German Government provided great financial assistance to the East German lands in the process of their adaptation and integration into the European Community. In addition to the tasks of food production, the country's agricultural industry performs many additional tasks. This is the protection and preservation of nature, as the basis for the life of the country's population, the protection of the natural landscapes of residential areas and places of mass recreation, the supply of raw agricultural materials for the needs of the industry.