Importance of agriculture to the economy
El Salvador is predominantly an agricultural country, although agriculture accounted for only 9.3% of the GDP and employed 35.5% of the economically active population in 1992. Approximately 57% of the country's population lives in rural areas and about 75% of the country's basic grains are produced on family farms. The main food crops are maize, rice and beans. The main cash crops are coffee, which accounted for 25.7% of exports in 1992, sugar cane and cotton. Shrimps were also an important export. About 21% of the agricultural land belongs to the agrarian reform sector. The country's agricultural strategy aims to increase rural income through improved productivity and to increase export and foreign exchange earnings from agriculture.
Sectoral Contributions to GDP and Employment
Source: Europa World Yearbook, 1994
