The Portuguese fruit sector is organized under producer organizations and associations which reinforce and increase the sector's competitiveness. In 2020, the sector developed the Portuguese Fruit sector strategy. The strategy outlines the main challenges for the sector in the coming years: climate change (particularly its implications for water availability) and the increasing limitations on the use of plant protection products (agrochemicals). Additionally, the strategy notes the Portuguese fruit sector must increase its competitiveness through efficiency and the optimization of production costs, especially regarding energy and connectivity, as well as environmental, economic, and social sustainability, seasonal labor issues, export markets, and increasing domestic fruit (and vegetable) consumption.
To achieve these goals, the sector analyzed three major strategic objectives:
to balance the Portuguese fruit trade;
to create value-added products; and
to increase the sustainability of Portuguese fruit production.
According to Portuguese official data, 74 million hectares (ha) of fresh fruit were grown in 2019 yielding 1.1 million tons. Portugal’s fruit growers mainly produced apples (355,000 tons) and Rocha pears (150,000 tons) in the center of the country, citrus (400,000 tons) in Algarve in Southern Portugal, as well as stone fruit (84,000 tons) and red fruit (50,000 tons). Most of Portugal’s fruits are produced under 17 PDOs and GIs.