Statistics Portugal (INE) releases the 2025 edition of Agricultural Statistics, providing a comprehensive overview of Portuguese agriculture, forestry and the agri-food industry, based on the most recent data available.
The 2024/2025 agricultural year was characterised by persistently high temperatures and irregular rainfall, culminating in the hottest and driest summer of the last 94 years. Despite these conditions, water availability remained generally favourable, resulting in an exceptional year for pastures and forage crops. Conversely, the production of cereals, potatoes, wine and citrus fruit was adversely affected by weather conditions and disease pressure, while olive oil production remained at a high level.
Animal production continued to expand, with total meat production increasing by 3.1%, driven by higher pig and poultry meat output. Egg production reached a new record, while milk production remained broadly stable and the dairy industry recorded an overall level of production similar to that of the previous year. The food industry retained its position as Portugal’s largest manufacturing activity, accounting for 16.6% of total manufacturing sales.
From an economic perspective, the Agricultural Output Price Index increased by 1.6%, reflecting higher producer prices for livestock products, while the price index for goods and services currently consumed in agriculture declined by 1.0%. Despite the 2.9% in nominal increase in Gross Value Added (GVA), agricultural income, in real terms per annual work unit, decreased by 4.5%, mainly due to the reduction of other subsidies on production. In forestry and logging industry, GVA declined again in volume terms (-1.4%), maintaining its 0.5% share of the national economy.
Portugal continued to display marked contrasts in food self-sufficiency. Cereals remained highly dependent on imports, with a self-sufficiency rate of 16.8%, while olive oil (247.9%), rice (119.3%) and wine (107.2%) remained surplus products. Domestic production supplied 75.1% of national meat consumption and 88.4% of milk and dairy requirements. The trade deficit for agricultural and agri-food products widened to EUR 6.3 billion, while the trade surplus for forest products declined to EUR 2.7 billion.
From an environmental perspective, sales of plant protection products increased by 2.7%, apparent fertiliser consumption fell by 10.1%, and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture declined by 1.2%, despite an increase in direct energy consumption. In forestry, 8,277 rural fires were recorded in 2025, 31.5% more than in the previous year, burning 270.7 thousand hectares in mainland Portugal and making 2025 the second most severe fire year of the last decade. 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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