Salient Points
- During 2025, the total output produced by the local agricultural sector declined marginally by 0.1 per cent over that recorded last year, reaching €141.8 million.
- The intermediate consumption representing the main expenditure items incurred by the sector along the different production processes rose by 0.9 per cent to €87.9 million in 2025.
- The gross value added of the agricultural sector dropped by 1.7 per cent to a total of €53.9 million.
Commentary
The total output value generated by the local agricultural sector during 2025 was estimated to have reached €141.8 million, representing a slight decline of 0.1 per cent compared with 2024. In contrast, intermediate consumption by operating agricultural holdings increased by 0.9 per cent to €87.9 million. As a result, gross value added decreased by 1.7 per cent over the previous year to €53.9 million. Consumption of fixed capital inputs utilised by farmers in generating their output declined by 0.6 per cent to €7.1 million, while wages and salaries paid to employees increased by 10.6 per cent to €9.5 million.
The financial support provided to the sector during the year under review, consisting of assistance from EU-funded programmes as well as Government-funded initiatives, increased by 4.7 per cent, from €27.4 million in 2024 to €28.7 million in 2025. Notwithstanding this increase, the net operating surplus of the sector decreased by 0.7 per cent to €66.0 million. Moreover, after factoring in the negative net property income of €1.0 million paid by the sector during 2025, the net entrepreneurial income of the sector was estimated to have declined by 0.7 per cent to €65.0 million (Table 1, Charts 1 and 2).
The decrease in the value of agricultural output resulted from lower output values for livestock meat products and crop production, which declined by 1.8 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively. However, these decreases were partly offset by higher output values for products from secondary activities and animal products, which increased by 2.8 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively (Table 2, Chart 3).
On the expenditure side, intermediate consumption recorded by agricultural holdings reflected higher expenses on other expenses, crop cultivation expenditure, and energy and fuel costs, which rose by 3.2 per cent, 2.7 per cent and 1.0 per cent respectively. Conversely, livestock feeding expenses decreased marginally by 0.8 per cent (Table 3, Chart 4).
Methodological Notes
1. The data published in this release is based on the manual for the Economic Accounts for Agriculture.
2. Data on the generated output of agriculture is collected from various sources. Both the civil abattoir and the private slaughterhouses provide monthly slaughtering statistics by type of animal. The Malta Food Agency provides data on the volume and wholesale value of fruit and vegetables sold by the farmer, the Rural Affairs Department provides administrative data on the activity of wineries, whereas the Agriculture and Rural Payment Agency provides data on subsidies. Separately, the NSO collects statistical data through an annual census on the quantity and value of tomatoes picked for processing, while it also makes use of other available data sources for the estimation of some other specific variables in this release.
3. Data on intermediate consumption is based on compilations whose sources are administrative records and input price indices that are collected on a quarterly basis from the retail businesses that cater for the agricultural sector.
4. The Economic Accounts and the other economic indicators published in this release refer to a complete calendar year.
5. The data in this release is provisional and subject to revision. Updates are carried out annually in respect of a rolling two-year period.
6. Definitions:
● Output represents the total value of agricultural produce generated through agricultural activity over an entire calendar year period.
● Intermediate consumption represents the value of specifically classified goods and services used as inputs in agricultural production processes, with the exception of some specific items which, by methodology, are classified elsewhere.
● Gross value added of the agricultural activity is the value of output less intermediate consumption by all the agricultural holdings before deducting any incurred gross fixed capital consumption (i.e. depreciation of fixed assets).
● Net entrepreneurial income measures the net operating surplus of the agricultural holding with the addition of any net property income (i.e. after adding and deducting any transactions such as rents and interest).
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