French farmers with financial difficulties : from a minor phenomenon to a real problem - The number of French farmers facing financial stress, which could make them go bankrupt, seems to become larger since the income crisis started in agriculture. This problem was regarded as a minor one until recent years, but in 1982 about 4 %of full time farmers are concerned. Half of farmers with financial difficulties were helped by public subsidies. Most of subsidized farmers operate rather big farms. Their farms have encountered financial hardship because of poor rate of return or too high indebtness. Among the subsidized farmers one third had already got government grants to set up or modernize their farms before 1982.
