Rural land: more expensive agricultural land and less land take in 2022

According to the national federation of land development and rural establishment companies (Safer), the average price of agricultural land and undeveloped free meadows has started to rise again compared to 2021 (+ 3,2%) to reach 6.130 euros per hectare, a record since 1997.

The volume of free and rented surfaces sold, which amounts to 480.000 hectares (+ 2,7%), has also reached "a peak" since 1994.

However, the price differences are increasingly significant depending on the nature and location of the land: the federation notes more and more difficulties in finding a buyer for certain dairy farms, or for land that is not not possible to irrigate.

In addition, the proportion of farmers who buy these lands and meadows (51% in 2022), is "intended to decrease" with the rise of agricultural exploitation and land holding companies, which can bring in non- operators with capital and last year acquired 24% of the areas sold.

According to Loïc Jégouzo, deputy director of studies at FNSafer, the price of wine estates soared in 2022 "in Val-de-Loire Centre, Champagne, Burgundy", while that of vines in the Bordeaux appellation fell. for the fourth year.

Emmanuel Hyest, president of the federation, welcomed the "decline in the urbanization market", and the fact that the various actors "integrate the fact of protecting agricultural land".

Last year, 20.000 hectares were sold to be transformed into housing or business areas, a figure "at the lowest for thirty years", with a drop in the volume of surfaces intended for urbanization estimated at 46%.

The total number of rural land transactions (agricultural land, forest and country houses) decreased by 6% compared to the previous year, a drop equivalent to that of their sale price, whose total value reached 46,2 Billions of Euro's.

Disposals of shares and shares of agricultural companies increased in an unprecedented way in 2022, with a 25% increase in transactions (for a value of 3 billion euros), just before the entry into force of the law Sempastous in early 2023, supposed to better regulate access to agricultural land in the face of the appetites of investment companies.