GERMANY

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are important in the country. There are agricultural differences between the East and west of Germany. While there are farms run by families in the West, agricultural enterprises are dominant in the east as a continuation of the former socialist cooperatives. As a result, the size of the farms in East Germany is 188.2 hectares whereas in West Germany it is only 31.2 hectares. Agricultural policies are shaped within the framework of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. In addition, the share of organic farming has increased rapidly with the demand of consumers and the support of the state.

The share of the industrial sector, one of Germany’s most important sectors, in GDP is shrinking against the services sector. In 2017, the share of the industrial sector in GDP is 30.6%. Germany, the world’s third largest economy, produces all industrial goods. Mainly, chemicals, vehicles, capital goods, white goods sectors are at the forefront. Germany’s manufacturing industry is home to many international companies. In addition, Medium-Sized Enterprises constitute the backbone of the German economy. In smaller companies with fewer than 500 employees, they operate as a family company and are generally in Western states. The main manufacturing industry sectors in the Eastern provinces are chemicals, electrical and electronics engineering, glass, ceramics, vehicles. The automotive sector is the driving force of the German economy.

The most important natural resource is hard coal. Germany, the world’s largest coal producer, has 2.5 billion tons of hard coal and 40.4 billion tons of lignite reserves. Lignite coal is extracted especially in the Eastern and Western states of the country. Transportation of lignite to other parts of the country is not economical, it is used in power plants. Coal has an important place in the country’s electricity production. Among the important minerals extracted in Germany are cobalt, bismuth, uranium, antimony.

The construction sector has an important place in the German economy. The German construction market grew by 5% in 2017. This growth trend is expected to last until 2020. 2.5 million qualified workers are employed in the sector. Housing construction is the most important factor affecting growth in the sector.