The number of farms in Belgium continues to decline, according to the latest agricultural figures from Statbel.
In 2023, the country had 34,249 farms, down from 33,973 the previous year. Since 2016, when Belgium had 36,888 agricultural enterprises, the numbers have fallen almost every year.
An unusually wet autumn in 2023 further disrupted farmers who grow winter cereals. As a result, the cultivation of winter wheat, winter barley, and spelt reduced by about one-fifth. In Flanders, this decrease was even steeper, at 34.7%. Conversely, the share of spring cereals rose by 72.7%, with Flanders experiencing nearly a doubling of the sown area.
The year 2024 was notably rainy, breaking records as the wettest year ever recorded by the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. This adversely affected crops like strawberries. However, nuts have performed better, with walnut production increasing by 10.3% and hazelnuts soaring by 77.9% in 2024.
