Spain’s Agricultural Production and Crop Diversity
Diversification of Rural Activities: Agricultural Use
Agricultural supplies represent 56% of total income from agriculture and have experienced great changes in the last 40 years. The fact that the cultivated area is decreasing every day, and production is higher, is explained by the scientific and technical improvements introduced and by the increased size of farms.
Cereals
They are the most widespread crop in Spain and are second in value only to vegetables. The main cereals and their production areas are:
- Wheat and barley in the two Castiles, Aragon, and Andalucia. Spanish wheat production is low compared with the rest of Europe.
- Maize: Spain is located in the wet and irrigated areas of the two Castiles, Aragon, and Andalucia. It is insufficient for the Spanish consumer market at large, and imports are needed, generally from the U.S.
- Rice: In the Ebro Delta, the Albufera of Valencia, and the marshes of the Guadalquivir. Production does not grow to avoid problems of surplus, successfully supplying the domestic market.
The Olive Grove
Spain is the leading producer and exporter of olive oil, though not the first vendor of bottled oil, as part of the production is exported to Italy, where it is packaged. Production south of the Central System and part of the Ebro valley suffers competition from other oils such as sunflower and soybean.
The Vine
It is, next to the two above, part of the Mediterranean trilogy. It produces excessive amounts of poor-quality wine that is intended largely for distillation. High-quality wine production continues to expand. They start to suffer wine competition from outside the EU, especially North and South America. Maximum production is in Castilla-La Mancha, La Rioja, Valle del Guadalquivir, Ribera del Duero, Catalonia, Valencia, and the Canary Islands.
Legumes
Chickpeas, beans, and lentils are essential components of the so-called Mediterranean diet, which is increasingly obsolete due to the terrible current diets. The cultivation of legumes is inserted, usually in rotation with other crops, in cereal fields. The chickpea is produced in Andalucia and the two Castiles; the bean in Andalusia, Salamanca, Castile-La Mancha, Castilla y León; and broad beans in Galicia.
Fruit Trees
Citrus and non-citrus fruit trees are typical of Spain, and also from the moist, semi-arid Spain, where they have efficient irrigation systems. Citrus is grown mostly in the Levant and Andalusia. Non-citrus fruits are grown in Valencia, Murcia, Valle del Ebro, and Cáceres.
Vegetables
Its production area coincides with that of the fruit; vegetables occupy the best and most manicured land. Their economic value is the largest in the agricultural sector. Lettuce, onion, and tomato are of great importance in exports, but also face competition from imports. Asparagus is grown in La Rioja, Navarra, and Caceres; melon in Toledo and Ciudad Real; tomato in Murcia, Almeria, and Badajoz; garlic in Cuenca; onion and green beans in Valencia. Tubers, including potatoes, are central. The potato is produced in Andalucia, Comunidad Valenciana, Galicia, and the Canary Islands. Late potatoes are produced in Galicia, Castilla y Leon, the Basque Country, and La Rioja.
Industrial Crops
These require abundant water resources. They are essentially sunflower, sugar beet, cotton, and tobacco. The first two crops are in expansion. Cotton is the only industrial crop whose production declines yearly due to the better quality and price of imports from Egypt and the U.S. The main sunflower-producing areas are Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucia; sugar beet is produced in Castilla y Leon and Andalucia; tobacco in Caceres and Granada; pepper for paprika in Murcia and Caceres; hemp in Barcelona; anise in Malaga; and saffron in Albacete.