An end to the deterioration of thl balance of trade in french farming. - For most farm economists and officials of farming organisations the constantly widening gap between agricultural and industrial prices is a common place. However in the light of recent statistics it seems that, contrary to the general opinion, agricultural prices in comparison with others have greatly improved. laking up the statistics for the years 1962-72 this article attempts to demonstrate that on average agricultural prices have closely followed th'' general rise in prices and that taking into account the modifications in total input, the farm running-costs index has continually decreased. Without going so far as to exclude the possibility of a future deterioration in the balance of trade, it has to be admitted that this theory does not explain everything and has no reason to be put forward now. If agriculture is a dominated sector the value transferred from it does not result essentially from the primary price effect but from more sophisticated mechanisms.
