Agriculture, Latvia, Markets and Companies

"Winter crops in Latvia are like a patchwork quilt - the hills are green, while the valleys are waterlogged," said the center.

In Latgale province, sowing winter crops got delayed, but what crops were sown look comparatively good, said Guntars Melnis, head of the Rural Advisory and Training Center's Daugavpils office.

There is a similar situation in Vidzeme province, for instance, even the largest farms in Gulbene Region have sowed half of winter crops they had been planning to sow. Smaller farms have not sown winter crops at all, according to the Rural Advisory and Training Center's agricultural expert Ingrida Steinberga.

Near Limbazi, canola sown in August looks good, although a lot of crops in lower areas remain flooded, Brigita Skujina from the Rural Advisory and Training Center told LETA.

On farms in Kurzeme province, winter canola crops have been sown in 90% of the planned amount, and the overall situation with winter wheat, rye and barley is also comparatively good. However, on farms where winter crops were sown late, up to 70% of crops have rotten, said Vita Cielava from the Rural Advisory and Training Center's Liepaja office.

In the meantime, growing winter crops in Zemgale is largely on schedule, said Oskars Balodis, head of the Rural Advisory and Training Center's Agricultural Department.