The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has placed geopolitical issues among the main keys to the future of the Spanish agri-food sector and has pointed out that the trade agreements of the European Union (EU) with third countries “are an instrument to provide stability and allow diversification of exports”.
The Minister recalled that Spain has a strong foreign vocation for its exports of agri-food products, is the fourth country in the European Union and the seventh in the world that sells more abroad, worth 77,600 million euros between December 2024 and November 2025 -last available data- and a positive balance of 18,100 million euros. “We do not export what we do not consume, exports are a fundamental part of our production,” said the minister. In just 10 years, the value of Spanish food and beverage exports has grown by 80%.
Therefore, at a breakfast briefing organized by the newspaper Cordoba, the minister stressed the strategic importance of diversifying and expanding markets and the new agreements reached by the EU that will enter with Mercosur, India and Indonesia, in the current global geopolitical situation marked by the protectionist tariff policy of the United States.
In his speech, the minister provided some data that support the statement of the same, “Spain, agri-food power”, as the agricultural income, 41,200 million euros in 2025 -according to the first estimate- is the highest in Europe, in a year in which a historical maximum of production was reached, with a value of 75,600 million euros. The primary sector and the agri-food industry employ more than 1.3 million people and there are more than 28,000 industries, of which almost 3,200 are cooperatives. With regard to fishing, he pointed out that Spain has a fleet of 8,430 vessels and is the leading European producer in aquaculture.
The Minister highlighted the decisive importance of belonging to the European Union -this year marks the 40th anniversary of Spain’s entry into the then European Economic Community- and in particular the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in making this great transformation of the Spanish agri-food sector possible. Now, he pointed out that “the number one priority above anything else” is the negotiation of the CAP for the period 2027-2034, and he said how positive it is that Spain maintains a common position agreed between the Government, the 17 autonomous communities, the four representative professional organizations that make up the Agricultural Council and Agri-Food Cooperatives.
Planas highlighted three essential aspects of this Spanish position: that the CAP should maintain its character as a differentiated European policy, with its own personality; that it should have at least the same funds as in the current period; and that the door should not be opened to national co-financing of aid.
Along with geopolitical and trade issues, the minister highlighted three other key blocks for the future of the agri-food sector: climate change, innovation and digitization, and generational change, which he considered “the challenge of challenges”.
To address climate change, the minister stressed the importance of sustainable irrigation, because three quarters of plant production is obtained from this production model, and the need for efficient systems that use alternative sources of water (non-conventional, purified and desalinated), digitized systems to make better use of resources and alternative sources that save energy. He recalled that the Government is immersed in the largest investment in history in irrigation modernization, with more than 2,500 million euros until 2027.
He also stressed the importance of new genome editing techniques, which Spain promoted during its rotating Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2023 and on which there is already an agreement on a proposal and regulation. These techniques will allow, among other advantages, the use of seeds adapted to the new climatic conditions of prolonged temperatures and droughts.
