The agri-food sector in Spain generated a Gross Value Added (GVA) of 137,387 million euros in 2025, equivalent to 9% of the national GDP, reinforcing a specialization clearly above the European Union average, which stands at 6.2%. This is according to the report released this Thursday by Cajamar and prepared by the Valencian Institute of Economic Research.
At the presentation, the president of Cajamar, Eduardo Baamonde, emphasized that the figures reflect a sector with "real strength," focusing on its contribution to the Spanish economy, export dynamism, and job creation.
The document details that foreign sales amounted to 79,391 million euros, 2.8% more than in 2024, marking a "new historical record" and consolidating the agri-food sector as one of the main drivers of Spain's external sector.
This export advance was mainly supported by an increase in the volume sent abroad, not by an increase in product prices, which, according to the study, demonstrates the sector's "structural strength" and its ability to maintain market share in increasingly "competitive" international markets.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, also spoke at the event, highlighting the report's relevance, considering it a "very useful tool to help understand the reality of the sector and to support professionals, companies, and administrations in decision-making."
Employment, Social Dimension, and Demographic Challenges
In terms of employment, the agri-food sector continues to be a "fundamental pillar" in Spain, with more than 2.6 million people employed, representing 11.5% of total employment, a proportion higher than the 9.8% recorded in the EU-27 as a whole.
According to the report, this high capacity to generate jobs places Spain among the "leading European economies" in agri-food employment, occupying the third position by size, concentrating 11.6% of the sector's employment in the EU-27. This weight reinforces its status as a "key element" for territorial cohesion, especially in rural areas.
The study also highlights several challenges in the social and demographic sphere, such as the aging of the active population, the lower presence of women in certain productive branches, and difficulties in ensuring generational renewal in numerous farms.
"The strength of the data should not lead to complacency, because the sector faces important challenges, mainly those derived from geopolitical uncertainty and climate change, and also due to the need for generational change," Planas has warned.
Innovation, digitalization and the future of agriculture
Among the "key elements" identified to sustain the future development of the sector, the report places innovation in the foreground.
In this regard, although R&D investment has increased in recent years, its relative weight on the agri-food GVA continues to be below the European average, with a level 30% lower, which shows ample room for improvement.
The analysis concludes that accelerating digitalization, incorporating new technologies, and betting on innovative solutions will be decisive in increasing the productivity and strengthening the competitiveness of Spanish agriculture in the coming years.
"The sector's challenge is to gain productivity, which requires shortening the gap that separates us in R&D investment effort," said the deputy director of Research at the Valencian Institute of Economic Research, Joaquín Maudos.