This is 333.9 thousand tons or 10.6 % more than in the previous year. Last year, the highest cereal yield was also achieved - on average 46.4 quintals per one hectare (in 2019 - 42.6 quintals).
Harvested production and average yield of agricultural crops
|
|
Total yield, thousands t |
Changes, % (2020/ 2019) |
Average yield, quintals per ha |
||
|
2019 |
2020 1 |
2019 |
2020 1 |
||
|
Cereals |
3163.2 |
3497.1 |
10.6 |
42.6 |
46.4 |
|
Winter cereals |
2213.1 |
2430.5 |
9.8 |
50.7 |
55.3 |
|
Wheat |
1964.0 |
2174.5 |
10.7 |
51.8 |
56.9 |
|
Rye |
191.2 |
178.4 |
-6.7 |
43.5 |
42.9 |
|
Barley |
31.9 |
52.2 |
63.7 |
44.8 |
55.2 |
|
Triticale |
26.0 |
25.4 |
-2.3 |
40.8 |
40.4 |
|
Spring cereals |
950.1 |
1066.6 |
12.3 |
31.1 |
33.9 |
|
Wheat |
407.0 |
485.1 |
19.2 |
35.0 |
41.6 |
|
Barley |
273.5 |
256.6 |
-6.2 |
34.0 |
34.1 |
|
Oats |
237.8 |
287.9 |
21.0 |
28.2 |
29.1 |
|
Buckwheat |
13.5 |
16.8 |
24.0 |
8.4 |
10.7 |
|
Rapeseed |
405.6 |
451.3 |
11.3 |
29.0 |
30.9 |
|
Potatoes |
501.8 |
377.5 |
-24.8 |
224 |
208 |
|
Vegetables |
172.9 |
159.1 |
-8.0 |
192 |
177 |
The average yield of winter cereals is the highest in the history of Latvia
The winter of the previous year was favourable for the overwintering of winter cereals as well as the summer - for harvesting, which in 2020 significantly affected the increase in the average yield of winter cereals per hectare up to 55.3 quintals, which is the highest yield of winter cereals in the history of Latvia. The total yield of winter cereals reached 2.4 million tons or 9.8 % more than in 2019, with sown areas increasing by only 2.9 thousand hectares or 0.7 %.
Last year, the largest total production of winter wheat was obtained - 2.2 million tons or 62.2 % of the total grain production. The average yield per hectare reached 56.9 quintals, which is the highest winter wheat yield in the history of Latvia. In Zemgale region, winter wheat yield reached as much as 64.0 quintals per hectare (55.2 quintals in 2019), and their total production reached 894.7 thousand tons or 41.1 % of the total winter wheat production in the country (39.3 % in 2019).
In 2020, 753.7 thousand hectares were sown with cereals, which is 11.4 thousand hectares or 1.5 % more than in the previous year, and it is the largest area of cereals in Latvian agriculture.
Sown area of agricultural crops
(thousand hectares)
|
|
2019 |
20201 |
Changes, % (2020/2019) |
|
Total sown area |
1262.1 |
1277.1 |
1.2 |
|
Cereals |
742.3 |
753.7 |
1.5 |
|
Winter cereals |
436.6 |
439.5 |
0.7 |
|
Wheat |
379.2 |
382.2 |
0.8 |
|
Rye |
43.9 |
41.6 |
-5.3 |
|
Barley |
7.1 |
9.4 |
32.9 |
|
Triticale |
6.4 |
6.3 |
-1.3 |
|
Spring cereals |
305.7 |
314.2 |
2.8 |
|
Wheat |
116.3 |
116.6 |
0.3 |
|
Barley |
80.5 |
75.3 |
-6.3 |
|
Oat |
84.3 |
98.9 |
17.3 |
|
Buckwheat |
16.2 |
15.7 |
-3.0 |
|
Rapeseed |
140.1 |
145.9 |
4.1 |
|
Potatoes |
22.4 |
18.1 |
-19.3 |
|
Vegetables (in the open field) |
8.4 |
8.3 |
-1.2 |
In 2020, 22 % more grain was purchased, and the purchase price has risen by 3 %
Last year, a total of 3.0 million tons of grain were purchased - that is by 536.1 thousand tons or 22.0 % more than a year earlier, and this is the largest amount of grain purchased. The average purchase price of grain has also increased by 3.4 % - from EUR 158.24 per tonne in 2019 to EUR 163.59 - in 2020.
Last year, 83.0 % of the purchased grain volume was wheat (in 2019 - 81.4 %), of which 80.2 % was food quality wheat (in 2019 - 85.5 %). The share of food rye in the total volume of rye purchased has also decreased from 82.9 % in 2019 to 74.9 % in 2020.
The main grain export markets are still the Middle East and Africa
Exports of grain continue to grow. In 2020, compared to 2019, the volume of wheat export increased by 21.4 %, the export of oats by 54.2 %, but the volume of rye export increased slightly - by only 1.4 %.
Last year, the largest grain exports were to Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco and Turkey. 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.
Total rapeseed harvest increased by 11.3 %
In 2020, the sown area of rapeseed was 145.9 thousand hectares, which, compared to the previous year, is 5.8 thousand hectares or 4.1 % more. With the average yield per hectare increasing from 29.0 quintals in 2019 to 30.9 quintals in 2020, the total rapeseed production has reached 451.3 thousand tons, which is 45.7 thousand tons or 11.3 % more than in the previous year and is the highest total production of rape seed in Latvian agriculture. The significant increase in the total rapeseed production was influenced by the 9.7 % increase in sown areas of winter rapeseed and the increase in the average yield per one hectare from 31.1 quintals in 2019 to 32.5 quintals in 2020 or 4.5 %.
The average yield of potatoes and vegetables per hectare has decreased
In 2020, the total potato harvested production was 377.5 thousand tons, which is by 124.3 thousand tons or 24.8 % less than a year ago. The area of potato plantations has decreased by 4.3 thousand hectares or 19.3 %, but their average yield per hectare has decreased from 224 quintals in 2019 to 208 quintals in 2020.
Last year, the weather was not favourable for growing vegetables in the open field. Their average yield per hectare decreased from 192 quintals in 2019 to 177 quintals last year. In 2020, a total of 159.1 thousand tons of vegetables were grown (including those grown in greenhouses), which is 13.8 thousand tons or 8.0 % less than in 2019. The amount of vegetables grown in greenhouses increased by 12.0 thousand tons or 0.8 %.
