The Agri-food cluster in Portugal is fundamental to the country's growth strategy, contributing directly to increasing exports and ensuring food self-sufficiency. This industry occupies a significant place in the Portuguese economy because of its economic weight and because it creates genuine, fresh products that consumers trust. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in exports from this sector, demonstrating its growing international recognition.
The products in the Agri-Food sector are genuinely Portuguese, with a high and growing competitiveness in foreign markets. Some products produced exclusively in Portugal are strongly associated with healthy eating habits. This industry complies with all food safety systems, reflected in the growing confidence of new consumers and markets. It has also invested in rebranding its products' image, making them more appealing to consumers.
Technological innovations and sustainability are transforming the agri-food sector. Digitalisation, scientific innovations, knowledge, and ecological product certification facilitate faster international trade, greater market access and inclusion, better food safety along food chains, and reduced vulnerability to fraud. The impact on the agri-food industry will be economical, especially on the players and export markets. These are the times when organisations reinvent themselves, adapting to new consumer needs, adjusting their products and offers and putting new knowledge at the service of their activity.
With a turnover of 31,499 million euros in 2022, the Portuguese Agri-Food sector comprises a set of activities related to the production and transformation of raw materials into food or drink, as well as making them available to the end consumer, more specifically agriculture, fisheries, the processing industries (food and drink) and the extractive industries (salt).
This industry involves around 126,810 companies and 307,101 employees, distinguished by their high quality and technical capacity. In 2023, agri-food exports totalled 9.954 billion euros, representing 12.83 per cent of Portuguese exports of goods and a growth of 6.5 per cent on the previous year, demonstrating the importance of the agri-food sector to the country's economy and competitiveness.
Portugal exported to 177 markets in 2023, with the five main markets (Spain, France, Brazil, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) accounting for around 58.95 per cent of the sector's total exports. Agricultural products (olive oil, wine, fruit, vegetables) are the most exported, compared to other processed food products (tinned fish, tinned tomatoes, fruit juices).