Statistics: Land used for potato farming decreases 8 percent on year
According to preliminary data provided by Statistics Estonia and the Estonian Agricultural Registers and Information Board (ARIB), the total area of land utilized for agriculture this year is 983,400 hectares, which is 4,400 hectares less than in 2023.
There has been a slight decrease in the total amount of arable land, as well as in the area used for fruit and berry plantations. The total sown area of potatoes, which has been in decline for a long time, is 8 percent smaller in 2024 than it was the year before.
Ege Kirs, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that potatoes are grown on 3,200 hectares of land in Estonia. An estimated 250 hectares of that is land cultivated by private households. "Ten years ago, potatoes were grown on an area almost that twice, or 6,300 hectares, while 20 years ago the area on which potatoes were grown was as much as five times larger," Kirs said.
The sown area of cereals is provisionally estimated at 350,000 hectares, down 1 percent from 2023. Wheat is grown on 173,300 hectares in Estonia, barley on 95,300, oats on 48,300 and rye on 18,300 hectares. The area on which barley is grown has decreased by 15 percent, while the area used to grow oats has increased by 35 percent, and the land used for rye has increased by 8 percent. When compared to the previous year, less winter crops and more summer crops have been sown.
According to preliminary estimates, the total area on which legumes are grown is 60,500 hectares, up 13 percent from a year earlier. This is also the largest amount of land used for legumes in the last seven years. When compared to 2023, the area on which rape and turnip rape are cultivated has decreased by 21 percent and is 60,200 hectares in 2024. This decline is due to a significant reduction in winter rape and winter turnip rape.
The area utilized for growing strawberries amounts to 530 hectares this year, down 5 percent from 2023. The area used for fruit and berry plantations is 3,900 hectares, or 2 percent smaller than in 2023, while the area used for outdoor vegetables is 1,650 hectares – 5 percent larger than last year. There has also been an increase in the area used to grow mangolds and other less common vegetable crops.
More information is available here and here.
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Editor: Michael Cole
