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Harvested production and average yield of agricultural crops

2019 was very fruitful for Latvian crop production, especially after the drought of 2018

Last year, a record high harvested production of grain was reached, which is very important upturn after the long-term dryness in 2018 that led to harvested production amounting to 2.1 million tonnes and average yield of 29.8 ql.  The high harvested production was facilitated by both high yield and wider areas of cereals – cereal cropland covered 742.3 thousand ha, which is 51.4 thousand ha or 7.5% more than a year ago and the widest cereal area in the history of Latvian agriculture.

Harvested production of grain was influenced by the increase in share of winter cereal areas in the total cereal cropland – from 35.4% in 2018 to 58.8% in 2019 (50.4% in 2015). In 2019, harvested production of winter cereals reached 2.2 mln t (the highest indicator in the history of Latvia), and the average yield thereof constituted 50.7 ql./ha. The highest yield of winter cereals was reached in 2015 – 53.5 q/ha.

In 2019, the highest harvested production of winter wheat was harvested – 2.0 mln t or 62.0% of the total harvested production of cereals; the average yield thereof reached 51.8 ql./ha, which is the second highest yield of winter wheat (55.3 ql./ha in 2015). Out of the harvested production of winter wheat, 781.8 thousand t or 39.8% were harvested in Zemgale region.

Sown area of agricultural crops
(thousand hectares)

*Provisional data.

Main cereal exports to Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Turkey

In 2019, the greatest volume of cereal products was exported to Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Turkey. Out of all cereal products exported, wheat and meslin took 82% (2.3 mln t or EUR 417 mln). More statistics for imports and exports of cereals is available in the interactive foreign trade statistics tool available on the CSB website eksports.csb.gov.lv.

Last year, 40.1% more grain were purchased, however the price dropped by 7.3%

Widest rape areas recorded since 1990

In 2019, rape areas occupied 140.1 thousand ha, which is 16.5 thousand ha or 13.4% more than a year ago and the widest rape area recorded in the history of Latvian agriculture. As the average yield from one hectare rose from 18.6 ql. in 2018 to 29.0 ql.in 2019, the total rape seed yield grew by 176.0 thousand t or 76.7%. Significant upturn in the harvested production of rape seeds was facilitated by the rise in share of winter rape up to 83.1%, as the average yield thereof reached 31.1 ql./ha.

Weather conditions favourable also for potatoes and vegetables

In 2019, areas of potato plantations rose slightly – only by 0.1 thousand ha or 0.7%, while harvested production of potatoes grew by 17.6%, reaching the average yield of 224 ql./ha (191 ql./ha in 2018).

2019 was favourable for open-field vegetables. Last year, 172.9 thousand t of vegetables were produced (including in greenhouses), and it is 33.8 thousand t or 24.3% more than in 2018. The rise was affected by a significant increase in the average yield of vegetables from one open field hectare – from 155 ql./ha in 2018 to 192 ql./ha in 2019. During the period, 11.2 thousand t of vegetables were produced in greenhouses, which is 0.3 thousand t less than a year ago.