The city of Guayaquil hosted the Sectoral Agroindustry Roundtable, an event focused on analyzing and strengthening Ecuador’s economic agenda for 2040. This meeting is part of a series of sector-specific discussions that have previously included tourism, agriculture, mining, hydrocarbons, electricity, and manufacturing.
Agroindustry is considered essential to Ecuador’s economy because it processes agricultural products into goods with higher added value. This process leads to increased employment, supports exports, and helps protect national food security.
According to figures from the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE), in 2024 the agroindustrial sector accounted for 6.8% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), while agriculture contributed 8.6%. Combined, these sectors represented 15.4% of Ecuador’s GDP growth. The shrimp, meat, and milling industries are noted as major contributors to the gross value added by agroindustry.
Participants at the roundtable included representatives from sugar, processed foods, animal feed, oils, beverages, milling companies, exporters, business associations, and rural organizations. They discussed the current state of the sector and its potential to support Ecuador’s development.
“The inputs generated in these technical spaces will serve as a strategic guide for building the Growth Agenda Ecuador 2040,” according to a statement from event organizers. “This initiative is promoted by the National Government through work led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance together with the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade and Investments and the General Secretariat for Public Administration and Planning with support from the Inter-American Development Bank.”
