Today, 9 September is World Agriculture Day, a day when Banco Sabadell asserts its firm commitment and support towards a sector which is key for humanity as a whole. Now more than ever, we need to protect an activity which is unfortunately enduring extreme climate change phenomena, which could entail a world-map crop transformation in the not-so-distant future. We should not overlook the fact that agriculture is an activity that is directly weather-bound.
Working the land is a demanding and tough profession. One must simply think back on how during the most complex stage of the pandemic – the lockdown and consequent stoppage of many industries – agricultural producers continued their activity for the good of the population. Their efforts, along with that of other groups deemed essential services, turned out to be decisive in guaranteeing citizens’ food supply in an unprecedented situation.
At Banco Sabadell we have always been aware of the social and economic relevance of those who devote their lives to working the land. This is why we set up Sabadell Negocio Agrario [Sabadell Agricultural Business], a service specialising in the current needs of the primary sector, such as sustainability, circular economy, eco-efficiency, the incorporation of young farmers and women, the reform of the Food Chain Law and the Animal Welfare Law, among other aspects.
Spain currently has 750,000 farmers and stockbreeders who generate 13% of the EU’s total agricultural production. 10% of its agricultural surface area is organically farmed, exceeding 2.4 million hectares in 2020. In fact, we are the leading European country in terms of surface area and organic production and the third country in the world behind Australia and Argentina. To Banco Sabadell, this path must continue evolving, because in the future agriculture should strive towards innovation, sustainability, proximity, efficiency and security.
Our entity works to ensure small, medium and large manufacturers have the most opportunities and resources possible available within a wide array of product and financial services. In fact, in 2021, Banco Sabadell won an award for the ‘Best Agro Financial Entity’ as a result of its specialisation in finance and innovation products for the primary sector.
We currently rely on a solid network of agricultural offices and a team of specialist managers to support rural professionals in their projects and challenges. We have four clearly defined sectoral offers: agriculture, livestock, fisheries and wine. And we have a website that includes everything the primary sector needs to know, as well as an Agro App to access the sector’s most relevant news, information on prices at the main auctions, grants, an agenda with the main conferences and various applications of interest.
In short, Sabadell Negocio Agrario is committed to helping the country’s agricultural industry to be modern, innovative, sustainable and efficient, offering it the necessary levers to face the great challenges of the future, which involve a continuous transformation process and the preservation of the environment. Today, World Agriculture Day, is a wonderful opportunity to highlight Banco Sabadell’s commitment to all the professionals who make the most of the fruits of nature, as well as to highlight the importance of agriculture as an activity with high added value all over the world.
