The agricultural industry registered an increase in net operating surplus of 1.1 percent in 2019, compared to the year before, reaching a total of €74.6 million. Data by the National Statistics Office shows that generated output by the industry grew by 4.3 percent amounting to €126.4 million, higher than €65.5 million in expenses of intermediate consumption (+1.1%) which cover energy and fuels, livestock feeding and crop cultivation costs among others. Total employee compensation bill stood at €4.5 million, up 0.4 percent, whereas consumption of fixed capital fell by 0.9 percent to settle at €6.8 million.
The industry benefited from a series of EU-funded programmes which disbursed a total of €26.1 million, a decrease of 12.6 percent from the previous year.
Crop products recorded a year-on-year increase of 7.9 percent, reaching an output value of €49 million. The highest increase was observed in vegetable production (+15.3%) and flowers and seeds production (+13.0%). The output value of fruits and forage decreased by 14.2 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.
Livestock products also registered an increase from 2018, growing by 5.5 percent and reaching a total output value of €41 million – the highest in five years under review. Production grew across all categories except pork, which dipped by 0.1 percent from the year before. The highest increase was seen in the breeding of rabbit, up by 9.5 percent.
There was a 1.3 percent decrease in the output value of animal products, driven mainly by a drop of 6.9 percent in egg production. The total €29.3 million value was the second-highest since 2015. Products from secondary activities also fell by 2.0 percent, owing especially to a decrease of 11.0 percent in wine, which reached a total output value of €1.6 million – the smallest in five years. Cheese, on the other hand, registered the highest output value in the same period, amounting to €5.4 million or an increase of 1.0 percent from 2018.
