According to information, this makes the past financial year by far the most successful in the past ten years. The ministry explained the renewed increase in particular with the “strong increase in prices for almost all agricultural products, which accelerated as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine”. As a result, the companies were able to “more than make up for” their own increased costs for energy and feed.
Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) nevertheless warned: “We must not lull ourselves into a false sense of security, but we must get started now.” It is necessary to remove further hurdles and reduce bureaucratic burdens.
The growth was particularly strong among processing companies. Income per worker there increased by 86 percent to 72,545 euros. The profit increase was therefore 110.4 percent to an average of 125,647 euros. Significant income increases were also achieved in arable farming and among dairy farmers.
Owners of wine-growing businesses, however, saw their income fall by nine percent. This amounted to 35,767 euros in the 2022/2023 financial year. Profit fell by 13.1 percent.
There are also clear differences between the federal states. While incomes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse each rose by more than 50 percent, the increase in Schleswig-Holstein and Baden-Württemberg was significantly weaker at less than 20 percent.
The regional differences in full-time businesses in terms of size and type of business lead to significant regional differences in income development, explained the Ministry of Agriculture. Natural location factors such as soil quality, altitude and climate increased these differences.