Les industries agricoles et alimentaires : croissance et crise

Based on a series of reports stretching from 1959 to 1979, it is possible to revise the evolution of food industry during the crisis in a more long-term perspective. The first specific feature of the sector is the proportion of households consumption in the demand for its product. In the sixties, the progression of this demand was moderate but regular. With the crisis and the reduction of households purchasing power, food spending was finally reduced, even if it appeared in this area later than in other sectors. That declining domestic demand clearly played a key role in slowing down production growth. However, the crisis has taken on a specific pattern in this sector : it only shows a reduced production growth for the years 1975-1977, and a recovery since 1978. For the second characteristic of food industry is its dependence to agricultural produce offer. That offer was rather bad in 1976-1977, but its progression is very important since 1978. Adjustment between offer and demand shows the role of the stocks and of the foreign trade. The commercial balance had regularly increased from 1965 to 1974. After a spectacular reduction until 1978, it recovered in 1979 its 1974 level. Facing with growth reduction, food firms have adjusted their activity reducing much more the working time than the number of workers. Their investment rate began to decrease very early in 1970, in relation to profit trouble appeared as far back as 1967.