Necessity of Implementation

The importance of the agri-food sector for both the global and local economy is undeniable. In Greece, according to 2019 data, the food, beverage, and tobacco industry holds the leading position in terms of the number of enterprises among all manufacturing sectors (16,263 enterprises out of a total of 57,014) and represents the largest employer in domestic manufacturing, accounting for 39% of total employment in the sector.In 2020, the national agricultural sector contributed 4.7% to the country’s total Gross Value Added (GVA) and employed over 400,000 individuals, representing more than 10% of the total workforce.

At the EU level, Greece ranked second after Romania in 2020 in terms of the agricultural sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (3.5%), and third in 2019—after Romania and Bulgaria—in terms of agricultural employment (10%). It also ranked seventh in terms of the rural

population as a percentage of the EU’s total rural population (3.6%). Furthermore, in 2020, Greece accounted for 3.4% of the EU’s total agricultural output, placing it in eighth position.

The economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, unforeseen geopolitical developments, and impending environmental changes caused by the Climate Crisis have created an unstable environment for Greece’s current agri-food production model. For this reason, the development and implementation of new strategic tools is urgently required in order to strengthen and safeguard the country’s agri-food sector.