Spain’s agricultural sector generated 46.8 billion euros in 2016, 12% of the total for the European Union (EU), making the country the fourth biggest producer, according to figures published on Wednesday by Eurostat.
Only the agricultural sectors in France (70.3 billion euros, 17% of the total), Italy (53.4 billion euros, 13% of the total) and Germany (52.9 billion euros, 13% ???of the total) generated more revenues than the industry in Spain, the report revealed.
The economic accounts show agricultural production generated 405 billion euros in 2016 for the 28 EU members as a whole, down 2.8% from a year earlier. This is basically the result of a 3.3% decline in the value of animal production due to the 4.9% fall in prices.
In contrast to what was generally the case in the EU, where the value of production fell in 2016 from 2015, in Spain it rose nearly 3% compared with the 2.5% drop a year earlier. Meanwhile, the value of crops’ production grew 4.4% in Spain, compared with an average 2.5% decline in the EU.
The principal declines in the value of livestock production were in Estonia (-19.8%), Lithonia (-8.3%), France (-6.5%), Denmark (-5.4%) and Slovenia (-5.2%). On the other hand, the value rose above all in Czechoslovakia (10.7%), Poland (4.6%), Hungary (4.1%) and the Czech Republic (3.5%).
With regard to crops, their value grew the most in Czechoslovakia (21.1%), Hungary (7.6%) and Croatia (6.4%). The biggest declines were in Estonia (-31.9%), Cyprus (-13.6%) and Lithonia (-10.4%). As far as agriculture services go, they fell 0.8% in Spain, close to the average 1% drop in Europe. The biggest rises were noted in Lithonia (19.7%) and Sweden (13.4%), while the largest declines were in Czechoslovakia ((-18.9%) and in Slovenia (-10.8%).
