Agricultural Output Grows 10% in 2012
The total output of the agricultural sector was valued at 885.5 million euros in 2012, 10 percent more than in the previous year, according to preliminary figures from the Minsitry of Agriculture.
Crop production and livestock farming both saw an increase, by 16 and 5 percent respectively, said the Ministry of Agriculture in a press release on Monday.
“Growers and processors both still have many challenges, as they will have to raise efficiency and add more value to their products,” said Helir-Valdor Seeder, the Minister of Agriculture.
In the crops and plants field of the agricultural sector, the highest riser were grain and cereal products, up by 37 percent, mainly as the result of a rise in grain prices, while the potato industry decreased by 17 percent, due to a decline in production and price.
The value of the cattle industry output rose by 43 percent. More than half of the cattle farming is geared to milk production, but as prices decreased, so did the dairy industry, by two percent.
Agricultural exports also grew, up 14 percent compared to 2011.