Agri-food is claimed as the first Catalan economic sector in the 1st Forum #CatalanFood

• The business volume of the agri-food sector is equivalent to 16.28% of Catalonia's GDP.

• More than 350 companies and sector agents participate in the main meeting place for the Catalan agri-food sector.

More than 350 agri-food companies and sector agents participated yesterday in the 1st Forum #CatalanFood, a sector event organized by Prodeca, the Promoter of Catalan foods, at Espai Bital, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Under the title "From volume to value", the day had product positioning as the thematic axis and different expert actors gave keys to better understand the market of the present and the future, with special emphasis on commercialization, internationalization and competitiveness.  

Agri-food, engine of the Catalan economy

Prodeca and ACCIÓ, the agency for the competitiveness of the company dependent on the Department of Business and Knowledge, have presented at the 1st Forum #CatalanFood the unpublished report prepared jointly by the two entities on the sector and its internationalization capacity. "Competitiveness and internationalization of the Catalan agri-food sector" is an x-ray of one of the most economically dynamic sectors in the country. Presented by Ramon Sentmartí, managing director of Prodeca, and Joan Romero, CEO of ACCIÓ, the study measures the weight of industry in the Catalan economy as a whole.

With 38,205 million euros in the entire value chain (primary sector, food and beverage industry and auxiliary industry), the business volume of the agri-food sector is equivalent to 16.28% of Catalonia's GDP, which positions it as the main manufacturing industry in the country. The whole of the agri-food sector and its auxiliary industry has 163,372 workers, 57,423 farms, 3,922 companies and 436 establishments. In total, Catalonia's food processing industry represents 24% of Spain's turnover.

In the international market, the Catalan agri-food sector is one of the leading clusters and reference hub in Europe, exporting to 201 markets around the world, including some of the most demanding countries in terms of food safety and traceability. In the first 9 months of 2019, Catalonia has increased exports by 6.14% compared to the same period in 2018, at the same time that the agri-food surplus has been reached for the first time in the period from January to September with a foreign trade coverage rate of 102.96%. Catalonia has 2,726 regular exporting companies (companies that have exported in the last 4 consecutive years), which means 26.54% of the food and beverage exporting companies in the Spanish State. The agri-food sector has become the 3rd exporting sector in Catalonia, behind the chemical and capital goods sectors.

Meeting point for the Catalan agri-food sector

Kantar Alimentació's specialist, Joan Riera, and Mercabarna's General Manager, Josep Tejedo, explained consumption trends in relation to consumers and distribution channels. ESADE Business School's doctor and professor of marketing and sales, Beatriu Soler, has analyzed cases of how companies differentiate themselves in the market, and UPF professor of financial economics, Oriol Amat, has focused his conference on what high-growth Catalan agri-food companies are like. The last speaker was the expert in brand identity, Andy Stalman, who spoke about the concept of branding adapted in the agri-food sector. The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Teresa Jordà, concluded the event.

About Prodeca 

Prodeca is a public company attached to the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing and Food of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which aims to promote Catalan agri-food products in the national and international market. It offers foreign trade support services and support in the process of internationalization and competitiveness to Catalan agri-food companies; facilitates their participation in the main international agri-food fairs, deploys export initiation programs, market diversification, commercial promotion and consolidation of the presence in third countries, etc. 

Prodeca works in coordination with the associations and agents involved in the agri-food export chain and participates in initiatives related to Catalan gastronomy as a tool to enhance and improve the positioning of Catalan products and companies in the sector.