According to preliminary data from Statistics Estonia, the total area of land utilized for agriculture this year is 983,400 hectares, which is 4,400 hectares less than in 2023.
The total sown area of potatoes is 8% 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.
There has been a slight decrease in the area used for fruit and berry plantations.
The area utilized for growing strawberries amounts to 530 hectares this year, down 5% from 2023. The area used for fruit and berry plantations is 3,900 hectares, or 2% smaller than in 2023, while the area used for outdoor vegetables is 1,650 hectares – 5% larger than last year. There has also been an increase in the area used to grow mangolds and other less common vegetable crops.
Source: news.err.ee