Agricultural income increases to the highest level in twenty years in Catalonia
Unió de Pagesos recalls that the increases in the value of agricultural production are not reflected in the price that farmers receive
BarcelonaAgricultural income –the value of farmers' and ranchers' production– reached its highest point in 20 years in Catalonia in 2025, with 2,805.1 million euros, according to data published this Wednesday by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat. Thus, the Catalan primary sector leaves behind the hardest years of the drought, when production fell substantially: "This increase consolidates the recovery of the agricultural sector after very complex years," stated the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, at a press conference.
The figure of 2,805.1 million represents an increase of 7.66% compared to 2024, the highest figure since 2007. If the effect of inflation is discounted, however, the figure is 2,128.6 million, the highest since 2001 and 5.21% higher than the previous year. Agricultural income is defined as "the value generated by agricultural production activity that measures the remuneration of all factors of production (land, capital, and labor)," according to the Generalitat.
The main Catalan agricultural union, Unió de Pagesos, has described the agricultural income data as "positive," stated the organization's general coordinator, Raquel Serrat. However, Serrat recalled that the increases announced by the Generalitat are not reflected in the products sold by Catalan producers.
Better harvests
According to the Generalitat, the good harvests of 2025 are the reason for the increase in purely agricultural production, which rose by 10% to 2,460 million euros. Specifically, cereals, with an increase of 52%; fresh fruit, with 13.75%, and wine, with 46%, are the crops that most increased the value of their production. In the case of fresh fruit, the improvement was mainly due to the increase in prices, while in the case of wine and cereals it was due to more voluminous harvests.
Regarding the livestock sector, cattle continue to increase their income thanks to the higher price of veal and beef caused by "a reduction in supply due to health issues," according to the Department of Agriculture. Along the same lines, the pig sector – the most important in livestock farming in Catalonia – was shaken at the end of last year by African swine fever (ASF), which closed some foreign markets and limited production on some farms, causing prices to fall.
Despite this, pig prices are rising again and have already recovered 27 of the 30 cents per kilo they lost with the outbreak of ASF, as explained to the ACN by Miquel Àngel Bergés, general director of Mercolleida, the reference market for this sector.