5.9 Million Tonnes of EU Chicory Production 2020–2024: A Complete Data Breakdown

EU Market Share: Who Dominates Production?

Over the five harvest years from 2020 to 2024, the EU-27 produced a total of 5,888.52 thousand tonnes of chicory. Belgium alone accounted for 2,525.48 thousand tonnes, or 42.9% of the EU total (505.10 thousand t/yr). France followed with 1,380.32 thousand tonnes (23.4%, 276.06 thousand t/yr), while Italy contributed 948.13 thousand tonnes (16.1%, 189.63 thousand t/yr). The Netherlands ranked fourth with 702.61 thousand tonnes (11.9%, 140.52 thousand t/yr), and Poland rounded out the top five with 166.90 thousand tonnes (2.8%).

Belgium's 2,525.48 thousand tonnes over the five-year period (505.10 thousand t/yr) exceeds the combined output of Italy and the Netherlands. The top three producers — Belgium, France, and Italy — together supply 82.5% of all EU chicory.

Agricultural Efficiency: Yield per Hectare

Eurostat does not publish direct yield indicators for chicory in the apro_cpsh1 dataset, but yield can be calculated from harvested production and area. The 2020–2024 averages reveal wide efficiency gaps across the top producers.

Belgium achieves the highest calculated yield at 44.6 tonnes per hectare — more than double the yield of Italy (18.7 t/ha) and 1.5 times that of France (29.3 t/ha). This efficiency gap is particularly notable when comparing Belgium and Italy: Italy allocates 25.5% of the EU's chicory area (50.46 thousand hectares) yet produces only 16.1% of total volume, while Belgium uses 28.6% of the area (56.56 thousand hectares) but generates 42.9% of production. The Netherlands (24.7 t/ha) and Poland (23.2 t/ha) occupy the middle range.

Regional and Climatic Divides Across Europe

Chicory production is overwhelmingly concentrated in Western Europe, with a notable secondary presence in the South.

Western Europe — comprising Belgium, France, and the Netherlands — produced 4,608.41 thousand tonnes over the five-year period, or 78.2% of the EU total. Within this bloc, the Belgium–France axis alone contributed 3,905.80 thousand tonnes (66.3%). Southern Europe, led by Italy and followed by Greece, added 1,031.70 thousand tonnes (17.5%). Eastern Europe, represented by Poland, accounted for 166.90 thousand tonnes (2.8%). The remaining member states collectively contributed less than 2% of total output.

Temporal Trends: Market Stability vs. Volatility

The 2020–2024 period reveals divergent production trajectories among the top producers.

Belgium and Poland showed the steadiest production patterns. Belgium ranged between 464.03 and 556.20 thousand tonnes, with a coefficient of variation of just 7.6%. Poland fluctuated between 24.10 and 39.90 thousand tonnes.

The Netherlands experienced the most dramatic volatility. After peaking at 220.92 thousand tonnes in 2021, Dutch production collapsed to 40.00 thousand tonnes in 2023 — an 81.9% decline — and remained low at 48.87 thousand tonnes in 2024. A corresponding drop in harvested area from 7.25 thousand hectares (2021) to 2.35 thousand hectares (2023) suggests a significant reduction in chicory cultivation area.

Italy showed a consistent downward trend, declining from 248.45 thousand tonnes in 2020 to a low of 147.71 thousand tonnes in 2023 (a 40.6% drop) before a partial recovery to 169.12 thousand tonnes in 2024. France also declined from 309.31 thousand tonnes in 2021 to 242.99 thousand tonnes in 2023, though it recovered modestly to 270.85 thousand tonnes in 2024. Note that France's 2020 data carries a "b" flag (break in series), indicating a methodological change.

Land Allocation: How Countries Prioritize Farmland

The EU-27 dedicated a total of 197.54 thousand hectares to chicory cultivation between 2020 and 2024, averaging 39.51 thousand hectares per year.

Belgium leads in land allocation with 56.56 thousand hectares over five years (11.31 thousand ha/yr), representing 28.6% of the EU total. Italy follows with 50.46 thousand hectares (10.09 thousand ha/yr, 25.5%), and France with 47.11 thousand hectares (9.42 thousand ha/yr, 23.9%). The Netherlands, despite being the fourth-largest producer, allocated only 25.85 thousand hectares (5.17 thousand ha/yr, 13.1%), reflecting its high per-hectare yields during the early part of the window. The divergence between area share and production share is most stark for Belgium (28.6% of area, 42.9% of production) and Italy (25.5% of area, 16.1% of production).

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