French agri-food exports grow slightly

French agricultural and agri-food exports increased by 2% in 2025, according to the Observatory of Agricultural and Food Foreign Trade, presented on October 13 in Paris by the National Center for the Promotion of Agricultural and Food Products (CNPA). However, this growth is slower than the global average, and France's trade balance is at its lowest since 1978.

France's export growth lags behind

Over the past 10 years, the average growth rate of French agri-food exports has been +3% per year. President Yannick Fialip of the CNPA noted that global agri-food exports have grown by 7% annually over the past 25 years, highlighting a gap between France and its global competitors.

Major export categories and market share

France is the fifth-largest exporter of food products globally and the fourth-largest exporter of processed agri-food products. More than half of its exports consist of cereals (35%) and live animals (19%, mostly livestock for fattening). The European Union is France's main market, accounting for 60% of the demand for its agricultural and agri-food products, with total exports reaching 84 billion euros in 2025.

European competition intensifies

At the European level, the CNPA observes that France is falling behind its main competitors: Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. French agri-food exports have shown the lowest growth in 15 years. Spanish exports of agricultural products and Italian exports of industrial products have accelerated, although France still leads Italy and Spain in export value for all products.

Concerns over competitiveness

CNPA treasurer Emmanuel Bernard expresses concern about a "drift" indicating the loss of competitiveness of the French agri-food industry in Europe. He warns that this trend is very worrying for the medium-term future. For 2026, a "slight rebound" in the trade balance is observed in the first seven months, of +0.7 billion euros, but this is attributed to improved wine and cereal production from 2025.

Challenges ahead for 2026

Yannick Fialip notes that the summer of 2026 will have particular consequences for the exports of spring crops like maize, sunflower, and potatoes. The first balances are not very favorable, and the final results will be presented in 2027. In the meantime, Fialip calls for increasing agricultural production to prepare for difficult years, suggesting planning for 120% production capacity to account for potential climate-related shortfalls.