10-Year Production Trajectory: Rising Stars & Fading Producers
Spain's harvested production of cauliflower and broccoli rose from 439.6 thousand tonnes in 2008 to 689.1 thousand tonnes in 2017, a net gain of 249.5 thousand tonnes (56.8%) at a 5.1% CAGR—the strongest growth among all top producers. Spain overtook Italy as the EU's largest producer, with the crossover occurring early in the decade. Spanish output grew in eight of the ten years, with the only dips occurring in 2009 (–2.3%) and 2012 (–1.6%).
Italy experienced the steepest decline, falling from 556.0 thousand tonnes in 2008 to 371.6 thousand tonnes in 2017, a net loss of 184.4 thousand tonnes (33.2%) at a –4.4% CAGR. The sharpest year-on-year drop occurred between 2009 and 2010, when output fell from 600.0 to 410.7 thousand tonnes — a 31.5% single-year contraction. After this shock, Italian production settled into a lower band between 370 and 415 thousand tonnes and never recovered its pre-2010 level.
France also contracted, declining from 416.9 thousand tonnes in 2008 to 333.0 thousand tonnes in 2017, a net loss of 83.9 thousand tonnes at a –2.8% CAGR, with the 2009 value missing from the dataset. French production shows a broadly declining trend, from a peak of 416.9 thousand tonnes at the start of the decade to a low of 319.1 thousand tonnes in 2016, before a modest recovery to 333.0 thousand tonnes in 2017.
Belgium posted the second-fastest growth rate at 3.7% CAGR, expanding from 92.8 to 129.0 thousand tonnes. Belgian production dipped to 82.3 thousand tonnes in 2010 before rebounding steadily through 2017. Polish production grew modestly at 1.6% CAGR, with year-to-year swings of up to 67.7 thousand tonnes between high and low seasons. The Netherlands remained essentially stable (+0.7% CAGR), while Germany and Greece both declined, at –1.8% and –2.2% CAGR respectively.
All values in 1,000 t. e = estimated. EU-27 total unavailable for 2008–2010.
| Country | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | CAGR | Net Change (1,000 t) | Trajectory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU27 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2,157.0 | 2,178.1 | 2,098.0 | 2,180.6 | 2,147.0 | 2,177.8 | 2,278.6 | — | — | — |
| ES | 439.6 | 429.4 | 508.0 | 513.8 | 505.6 | 540.9 | 597.0 | 607.2 | 640.1 | 689.1 | +5.12% | +249.5 | Ascending |
| IT | 556.0 | 600.0 | 410.7 | 407.2 | 414.1 | 381.6 | 405.1 | 399.8 | 388.3 | 371.6 | –4.38% | –184.4 | Declining |
| FR | 416.9 | N/A | 355.6 | 388.6 | 375.8 | 345.2 | 326.4 | 341.5 | 319.1 | 333.0 | –2.77% | –83.9 | Declining |
| PL | 274.9 | 291.1e | 252.3 | 297.6 | 306.8 | 271.3 | 320.6 | 252.9 | 314.7 | 317.0 | +1.60% | +42.1 | Ascending |
| DE | 156.1 | 168.1 | 152.0 | 144.1 | 176.7 | 154.1 | 149.2 | 134.8 | 122.4 | 132.6 | –1.80% | –23.5 | Declining |
| BE | 92.8 | 88.0 | 82.3 | 99.7 | 98.1 | 96.0 | 99.2 | 110.1 | 112.7 | 129.0 | +3.73% | +36.2 | Ascending |
| EL | 62.4 | 68.1 | 73.3 | 85.8 | 88.9 | 87.9 | 69.1 | 66.8 | 60.9e | 51.3e | –2.16% | –11.2 | Declining |
| NL | 66.0 | 59.0 | 65.0 | 57.0 | 53.0 | 51.0 | 52.0 | 65.5 | 62.3 | 70.4 | +0.72% | +4.4 | Stable |
Supply Stability Scorecard: Reliability Rankings
Supply stability—measured by the coefficient of variation (CV%)—reveals which producers offer the most predictable output year over year. A lower CV indicates tighter clustering around the mean and less year-to-year volatility. For buyers and supply chain planners, CV serves as a proxy for sourcing risk: a low-CV supplier delivers consistent volumes, while a high-CV supplier requires contingency planning.
Poland ranks as the most stable supplier (CV 8.44%), despite ranking fourth in total production volume. French output exhibits very similar low volatility (CV 8.52%), though the trend is downward — steady decline with low fluctuation. Germany ranks third (CV 10.43%), and the Netherlands ranks fourth (CV 10.62%). These four countries all fall in the “very stable” to “moderately stable” zone, meaning their year-to-year output is relatively predictable.
Belgium sits in the middle of the pack with a CV of 12.66% (rank 5). Its max drawdown of –6.41% is the mildest among all eight producers, indicating that Belgian output may fluctuate gently but never collapses in any single year.
Spain, the largest producer with a mean output of 547.1 thousand tonnes, ranks sixth in stability (CV 14.71%). Its max drawdown—the worst single-year decline a buyer would experience—was just –2.32%, indicating that while Spanish production varies, it rarely contracts sharply year-on-year. This makes Spain a strong volume play: high output with moderate but shallow fluctuation.
Italy is the least stable producer (CV 17.08%, rank 8), with a max drawdown of –31.54%—the steepest single-year drop among all eight countries. Italian production fell below its 10-year mean in eight of ten years, meaning the 2009–2010 shock was not an outlier but part of a sustained structural decline. Greece ranks seventh (CV 16.69%, max drawdown –21.43%), with six of ten years below its decade mean.
CV < 10% = Very stable; CV 10–20% = Moderately stable; CV > 20% = Volatile.
| Country | Mean (1,000 t) | CV% | Max Drawdown% | Years Below Mean | Stability Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PL | 289.9 | 8.44% | –21.12% | 4/10 | 1 |
| FR | 355.8 | 8.52% | –8.14% | 6/10 | 2 |
| DE | 149.0 | 10.43% | –12.80% | 4/10 | 3 |
| NL | 60.1 | 10.62% | –12.31% | 5/10 | 4 |
| BE | 100.8 | 12.66% | –6.41% | 7/10 | 5 |
| ES | 547.1 | 14.71% | –2.32% | 6/10 | 6 |
| EL | 71.5 | 16.69% | –21.43% | 6/10 | 7 |
| IT | 433.4 | 17.08% | –31.54% | 8/10 | 8 |
Land Allocation Shift: 10-Year Cropland Transformation
Harvested area trends closely track production shifts. Spain expanded its cauliflower and broccoli acreage from 27.3 thousand hectares in 2008 to 39.3 thousand hectares in 2017, a net gain of 12.0 thousand hectares (44.1%) at a 4.1% annualized growth rate. The fact that production grew faster than area (5.1% vs. 4.1%) signals yield improvements alongside expansion — Spanish growers are not just planting more land, but also getting more output per hectare.
Italy contracted most sharply in absolute terms, shedding 11.1 thousand hectares (41.1%) at a –5.7% annualized rate. Its area contraction (–5.7%) outpaced its production decline (–4.4%), indicating a partial efficiency offset — yields per hectare improved despite falling total output. Italian area dropped suddenly from 27.7 thousand hectares in 2009 to 16.9 in 2010, mirroring the production shock, and remained in the 15.7–17.1 thousand range for the rest of the decade.
France lost 6.5 thousand hectares (25.3%) at a –3.6% rate. French area fell from 25.8 thousand hectares in 2008 to a low of 19.1 thousand in 2015, with a brief spike to 30.8 thousand in 2011. By 2017, area had stabilized near 19.3 thousand hectares.
Belgium expanded at a moderate +1.4% annualized rate (+0.7 thousand ha), while Poland added 2.7 thousand hectares at +2.2%. The Netherlands expanded production area slightly (+0.8%), and Germany and Greece both contracted modestly at –1.6% and –1.9% respectively. Across all eight countries, area trends consistently reinforce the production trends — the countries gaining output are also expanding their land base, and vice versa.
All values in 1,000 ha. e = estimated. EU-27 total unavailable for 2008–2010.
| Country | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Net Change (1,000 ha) | Growth Rate | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU27 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 126.6 | 116.6 | 109.8 | 115.9 | 113.2 | 114.9 | 121.9 | — | — | — |
| ES | 27.3 | 25.2 | 29.9 | 31.2 | 29.5 | 30.4 | 33.2 | 32.3 | 34.5 | 39.3 | +12.0 | 4.14% | Expanding |
| IT | 27.1 | 27.7 | 16.9 | 17.0 | 17.1 | 15.7 | 16.4 | 16.3 | 16.3 | 16.0 | –11.1 | –5.71% | Contracting |
| FR | 25.8 | N/A | 26.0 | 30.8 | 21.3 | 19.8 | 20.0 | 19.1 | 19.4 | 19.3 | –6.5 | –3.58% | Contracting |
| PL | 12.5e | 13.5e | 15.7 | 15.6 | 16.5 | 12.6 | 15.2 | 15.5 | 14.9 | 15.2 | +2.7 | 2.15% | Expanding |
| DE | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 6.1 | –0.9 | –1.56% | Contracting |
| BE | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.9 | +0.7 | 1.38% | Expanding |
| EL | 3.3 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.0e | 2.8e | –0.5 | –1.87% | Contracting |
| NL | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.9 | +0.3 | 0.75% | Expanding |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country grew fastest in cauliflower and broccoli production?
Spain grew fastest at a 5.12% CAGR, adding 249.5 thousand tonnes over the decade to become the EU’s largest producer, overtaking Italy.
Which country is the most reliable cauliflower and broccoli supplier?
Poland ranks first in supply stability with a CV of 8.44% and only 4 years below its 10-year mean, despite ranking fourth in total volume.
Where is cauliflower and broccoli farmland expanding or shrinking?
Spanish harvested area expanded 44.1% (+12.0 thousand ha), while Italian and French area contracted 41.1% and 25.3% respectively over the decade.
Source data extracted from Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
This article was generated using AI. The content is based on Eurostat data and is provided as a starting point — please verify all data with the original source.
