Statistics Portugal publishes the annual Agricultural Statistics, which provides information on the agricultural and forestry sector, mainly relating to 2024.
In the period under analysis, crop year 2023/2024 was very warm and rainy, with positive impacts on pastures and fodder crops, which benefited from the moisture, ensuring abundant food for cattle. The Winter cereals showed good productivity but with reduced net margins. On the other hand, grain maze recorded sharp drops in yields and reduction in surface. The production of potatoes (+10%) and vegetables (+3,1%) grew, despite delays in planting. Tomatoes for processing increased in area, but the productivity decreased.
For permanent crops, olive oil stands out with the second largest production of all time and almonds which reached a record, confirming Portugal as the second largest producer in the EU. Apple and orange productions recovered from the bad previous crop year, while pear, kiwi and cherry production declined due to diseases and adverse weather conditions.
Total meat production stood at 947 thousand tonnes, reflecting an increase of 4.8% compared to 2023. The volume of dairy products decreased, mainly due to the reduction in milk for consumption, which at 622 thousand tons was 6.8% lower than in 2023.
Apparent fertiliser consumption increased by 16,6% in 2024, largely explained by a decline in the fertiliser price index (-18.3%). This growth ended up determining the unfavourable evolution of the nutrient balance, whose excess per hectare of UAA increased by 6.7% in the nitrogen balance and 14.5% in the phosphorus balance.
The income from agricultural activity, in real terms, per annual work unit (AWU), registered an increase (+14.5%), with GVA growing 7.3%, reflecting a positive variation, in volume, of Agricultural Output (+4.2%) greater than that of Intermediate Consumption (+2.5%). The price indexes of agricultural goods output and goods and services currently consumed in agriculture decreased by 2.7% and 0.4% respectively.
Regarding the degree of self-sufficiency, Portugal increased its dependence from external markets for cereals, milk and dairy products, and fruit, with the respective degrees of self-sufficiency set at 17.9%, 90.1%, and 68.8%, maintained self-sufficiency in rice, and reinforced surplus supplies of wine and olive oil.
The trade deficit for Agricultural and food products (excluding beverages and fishery products) reached EUR 5,170.0 million in 2024, a EUR 421.4 million decrease compared to the previous year. This favourable development was the result of a greater increase in exports (+ EUR 676.7 million) than in imports (+ EUR 255.3 million) of this type of product.
Manufacture of food products remained the main activity of national industrial production with 16.2% of total sales in 2024 (16.6% in 2023), recording a turnover of 16.7. billion euros.
In the forestry sector, the number of rural fires (6,293) was the lowest in the last 20 years, but on the other hand, the area burned (137.7 thousand hectares on the mainland and 5.2 thousand hectares in the Autonomous Region of Madeira) makes 2024 the third most severe year of the last decade. The trade balance for forest products increased to 3,063.7 million euros, representing a positive increase of 180.5 million euros compared to the previous year.
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