Agriculture and Agro-industry in El Salvador

The sector in figures

Source: Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: El Salvador agri-food sector sheet, July 2026 (PDF, in Spanish)¹

The value of farm output has grown every year, but more slowly than the rest of the economy, so its share of GDP has fallen from 4.81% to 4.40% in four years. It remains a large employer, with about one worker in seven.¹

Growth and the 2026 drought

The sector grew 1.97% in 2025, with quarterly rates between 0.46% and 3.89%. In 2026 it contracted: by 0.54% in the first quarter and 0.95% in the second, one of only two of the 19 activities in GDP to shrink. The BCR attributed the weakness to adverse weather across Central America, and later revised some monthly falls to flat growth.^2,3,4

The environment ministry recorded four periods of drought between June and September 2026, totalling 89 days and hitting the east of the country hardest. Producer groups estimate that about 15,000 manzanas of maize and beans were lost, with USD 8.7 million of investment, and that milk output per cow fell for a time from 15 bottles a day to between 10 and 12. These are sector estimates, not official figures.^3,5

Source: Diario El Mundo: agriculture records two quarters of negative growth in a year marked by El Niño, 13 October 2026; La Prensa Gráfica: drought left losses of USD 8.7 million for farmers, 4 November 2026^3,5

What the 2025 census shows

Source: Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: El Salvador agri-food sector sheet, July 2026 (PDF, in Spanish)¹

The census covered May 2024 to April 2025, except coffee, which covered October 2023 to September 2024. Maize, beans, rice and sorghum are grown mainly for the domestic market, mostly on small, individual farms. Coffee and sugar cane are the main commercial crops linked to industry: 95.1% of the coffee harvest was sold.¹

Source: Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: El Salvador agri-food sector sheet, July 2026 (PDF, in Spanish)¹

The census also counted 29.45 million poultry, 78.4% of them on farms and the rest in backyards; broilers were 39.2% and laying hens 17.9%. For 63% of cattle producers milk is the main purpose, against 15% for beef.¹

Fishing and aquaculture

The 2025 census was the first to cover fisheries. Farmed tilapia and shrimp together reached about 6,094 tonnes: 3,728 tonnes of tilapia and 2,378 tonnes of shrimp, with La Paz and Usulután producing 93.6% of the shrimp. Almost all of it is sold, but 98.2% of the catch is sold fresh or on ice, and only 47.9% of fishers are registered with the fisheries authority CENDEPESCA. Fishers work mainly in rivers (26%), estuaries and bays (24.3%) and coastal waters (20.2%), and only 15.1% have received technical assistance. Sales go mostly to restaurants, fish shops and direct sale on the beach. The Spanish ministry sees room for cold storage, freezing, filleting, packing and prepared products, and for meeting the quality and food safety standards needed to export.¹

The government production programme

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) runs a Production Increase Programme (PAP) to expand local food supply and gradually reduce dependence on imports. It plans to raise results by a further 40%, but says imports will still be needed.⁶

• Vegetables: from just over 800 manzanas at the end of 2024 to 7,722, with more than 2,000 greenhouses and shade houses, many with drip irrigation, growing tomato, cucumber and pepper.
• Basic grains: 201,000 manzanas, 152,000 of maize and 49,000 of beans, with reported averages of 85 quintals of maize and 30 of beans per manzana.
• Equipment: more than 100 tractors, seeders and other machines and more than 25 agricultural drones.
• Land: plots of private producers, producer groups, irrigation districts, cooperatives and associations, used for two or three cycles a year.

Source: Dinero: MAG plans to raise agricultural production by 40%, 20 October 2026⁶

Yields and areas in this section are reported by the ministry. Producer groups give different figures for the 2026–27 harvest, with 18 million quintals of maize and 2.3 million of beans as their own estimate.^6,5

Food imports and agro-industry

El Salvador buys much of its grain, feed and processed food abroad. The United States alone exported USD 793.77 million of farm products to the country in 2025, making it its 33rd agricultural market. Maize is the largest item.⁷

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service: El Salvador⁷

Processing turns local and imported raw materials into flour, sugar, roasted coffee, meat, dairy, eggs, feed and drinks. Agro-industrial exports grew from USD 673.4 million to USD 708 million in the first eight months of 2026, even as farm output fell. In horticulture, Hidroexpo has grown peppers and tomatoes since 2002, with more than USD 23 million invested, selling locally and to the United States and Canada.^1,8,9

Where investors come in

• Protected horticulture: greenhouses and irrigated vegetables to replace imports, an area the government has expanded from about 800 to 7,722 manzanas since 2024.
• Cold chain and fish processing: freezing, filleting and packing for tilapia, shrimp and the catch.
• Dairy and meat: most cattle are kept for milk, and the country imports dairy and pork.
• Processing: food and beverages are a large export industry, and coffee and sugar have their own institutions and figures.

Source: Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: El Salvador agri-food sector sheet, July 2026 (PDF, in Spanish); Dinero: MAG plans to raise agricultural production by 40%, 20 October 2026; USDA Foreign Agricultural Service: El Salvador^1,6,7

Basic grains are grown mostly on small, individual farms, so larger projects often need several plots. Check title, water rights and environmental permits before buying or leasing farm land, and plan for drought: four dry spells in 2026 hit the east of the country hardest.^1,3