Rural Land: Agricultural Land Prices Fell by 12% in 2025, Says Agrifrance

Agricultural Market Under Pressure Despite Increased Production

French cereal production rebounded by 16.9% in 2025, reaching 63.3 million tons. However, the environment of abundant global harvests put pressure on prices: wheat dropped by 19% and corn by 8.6% year on year. In the rural land market, the number of transactions decreased by 6%, and for the third consecutive year, agricultural land prices dropped, with a decline close to 12%. According to Agrifrance, this price slowdown provides clarity for projects and allows buyers to anticipate more predictable returns.

The gross rental yield of rural land ranges between 3.6% and 4.7% depending on the type of land and production. Agrifrance anticipates that the decline in land prices could support an increase in rental yield.

French Vineyards Show a Paradox: Falling Prices, Soaring Transactions

France maintains its position as the world's second-largest wine producer with 36.2 million hectoliters in 2025. In response to the structural decline in global consumption, nearly 74,000 hectares of vineyards have been uprooted in France since the early 2000s, representing 9% of the national vineyard. French wine and spirits exports reached 14.3 billion euros, down by 7.9% due to international tensions. Non-alcoholic wine is emerging as a promising market with a 20% increase in its estimated value over one year.

The market for vineyard transactions shows a remarkable rebound of 48.3% in total value, even though the average price of vineyard land has decreased by nearly 3%, settling at 171,400 euros per hectare. This discrepancy illustrates an intensification of activity despite the compression of unit values.

Forests Outperform Other Segments with a 20% Increase in Traded Areas

The forest market experienced significant growth in 2025: 176,300 hectares changed hands compared to 148,700 hectares in 2024, representing a 20% increase. In terms of value, transactions rose by 7.7% to reach 2.171 billion euros. Forests larger than 100 hectares fueled the market's momentum with a 64.5% increase in exchanged areas. The average price of a forest stands at 4,950 euros per hectare, an increase of 2.5%, while the price for forests over 100 hectares decreased by 19% to 11,705 euros per hectare.

Half of the area in this segment is acquired by legal entities and institutional investors, who view it as a long-term investment opportunity amidst rising timber prices and the search for tangible assets.