Agriculture, Baltic Export, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Markets and Companies

Estonia exported 121.2 million euros' worth of milk and dairy products of Estonian origin last year, which accounts for about 95% of the country's total dairy exports.

Estonian dairy products were exported to 42 countries during 2015, 22 of which are EU member states. The number of target markets of dairy products in 2015 was smaller by nine than in 2014. Sold on 28 markets outside Estonia in 2015, Estonian cheese boasted the widest export geography.

"Since the Russian import restrictions were imposed, the government has emphasized that finding new marketing possibilities for our products is the key to bringing the Estonian agricultural sector out of the crisis. Much has been talked about opening the Japanese and Chinese markets," Roomet Sormus, manager of the Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, said in a press release.

"Statistics for last year meanwhile shows that the share of third countries in the export of Estonian dairy products is very small and the number of destination countries of export has decreased. I believe that producers have been very pragmatic developing exports and have put their stakes on export channels that are as profitable as possible," he said.

According to Statistics Estonia, the list of countries that Estonian milk and dairy products of Estonian origin were exported to in 2015 was topped by Lithuania with 34.3%. Latvia was second with 19.3%, Finland third with 17.9%, Italy fourth with 9.1%, Netherlands fifth with 6.1% and Germany sixth with 3.1%.