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Industry Networks
The food industry in Bavaria
In Bavaria, Germany’s No. 1 agricultural state, agriculture and the food industry, including food-related skilled crafts, are the third most important business sector in the manufacturing industries after automotive and mechanical engineering with a turnover of close to 32 billion euros.
With a work force of some 400,000 this sector is also one of the most important employers in Bavaria. One out of every nine jobs in Bavaria is directly or indirectly related to agriculture and the food industry.
Cluster-specific structures have already been developed in the following sectors in particular:
- dairy industry
- meat handling and processing
- hops / beer
- wine-growing
- vegetable processing
Market and partners in the food industry
The Bavarian food industry concentrates on the domestic market that generates 83.5 % of the revenue. In the meantime, a very welcome development in the industry is the surge in exports to the new EU member states from eastern and southeastern Europe. In the first half of 2005, agricultural exports to these countries were on average up 34.2 % compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
Important features of the cluster structures are a historically developed vertical combination of agricultural raw-material production and processing, an active network of professional representative offices and intensive cooperation with research establishments.
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