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Agri-food sector[edit]

The agri-food sector or agri-industrial complex^[1] is a sector of activity corresponding to all enterprises in the primary sectors (farms) that produce food and the secondary sectors (agri-food) that process food into industrial food.

It comprises two groups (the share of the agricultural sector that is made up of farm producers and their innumerable small-volume farm products and processing which are marketed as direct sales is not taken into account):

the agricultural sector, which raises livestock (medium to large livestock), cultivates crops (field crops) and sells the resulting agricultural products to the agri-food industry;
the agri-food industry, which transforms livestock and crops into industrial food products.

This industry has its own economy, which includes the processing and marketing of agri-food products such as industrial dairy products.

Agro-resource crops for non-food purposes (pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, energy), although linked to specific agro-industrial sectors, remain grouped under this general industry.

Or plants that process food-grade agricultural products into ready-to-eat food.

Organization of the sector[edit]

We can form a chain of three important links in the agri-food industry.

Upstream link[edit]

This set includes :

manufacturers of agricultural equipment (e.g., tractors, combines);
Input manufacturers (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides);
seed producers.

Central link[edit]

This group includes all producers (breeders, farmers, fruit and mushroom producers, and by extension fishermen and sometimes hunters, wild berry harvesters, etc.). Strictly speaking, these are the people who produce the agricultural products that will be put on the market (processed or not).^[2]

Downstream link[edit]

This group processes the agricultural products supplied by the primary sector (agricultural sector). This includes, for example^[3]

to make them inert (e.g. slaughtering of livestock, pasteurization, sterilization);
to refine them (e.g.: bleaching of sugar, salt);
to extract a part of them (ex.: corn starch, plant extracts – texturizing, aromatic, food coloring);
cooking them (e.g. grinding, roasting, freeze-drying, cooking, manufacturing of processing flavors);
to assemble them (e.g.: soups, sauces, cooked meals);
packaging them (e.g.: vegetables or meat in trays or bags);

It is then a question of agri-food processes.

Research[edit]

The research sector creates new plants and animals by different methods (hybridization, selection, genetic modification).

In France, INRA is a major player. The agro-industrial technical institutes, federated within the ACTIA network, are also actively involved in agri-food research, with a significant activity of transfer to companies.

Business model[edit]

Upstream of the agri-food chain, farmers supply agricultural products. Downstream of the chain, traders sell the purchased food to food processors. Animal and plant research and development laboratories, transportation and logistics service companies, and marketing agencies have a strong presence in this market alongside producers and processors.

By country[edit]

France[edit]

In 2013, French food production and processing declined by 2.2%, according to the National Association of Food Industries. The turnover for the food industry in France is 170 billion euros for the year 2015, which makes it the leading industry in France.^[4]

In 2021, the sector is experiencing recruitment difficulties at a level not seen since 1991^[5]. According to Les Echos, 70.6% of company managers and 73% of business leaders report recruitment difficulties in this sector.

Canada[edit]

In 2015, Quebec and Canada make a lot of exports and they sell them in particular to the United States, which represents 61% of exports, then comes Japan with 7% of exported food products from Quebec, China 4%, Russia 3% and the Netherlands 2%. The main products exported are meat and pork.

References[edit]

↑ "Coopération internationale en R-D agroalimentaire, 2007-12". Innovation, productivité et durabilité dans le secteur agricole et alimentaire. 2019-10-03. doi:10.1787/2f1effa9-fr. Unknown parameter |s2cid= ignored (help)
↑ "Industrie agro-alimentaire". Maison de l'emploi (in français). Retrieved 2023-04-02.
↑ "Des industries agroalimentaires françaises face à des enjeux majeurs". Christine Margetic (in français). 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
↑ "La production agroalimentaire française en recul en 2013". Le Monde (in français). 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
↑ "Dans l'industrie, 2 entreprises sur 3 ont des difficultés de recrutement, du jamais vu depuis 31 ans". Les Echos (in français). 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2023-04-02.

Secteur agroalimentaire

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