estonian agriculture, rural economy and food industry

4.
TABLE 4.
Total yield ('000 t)
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
(Source: ESA)
Suitable soils, relatively favourable climate, and
cheap labour enable the production of quality
horticultural products. Fruit and vegetable production,
as well as berry production, give small producers
(with less than 20 ha of arable land) a good
opportunity to develop enterprise in areas where
natural peculiarities are not suitable for large-scale
production (south-east and southern Estonia, areas
near Lake Peipsi, and the islands).
Large-scale horticultural and vegetable production
is still in the developing stage. Large investments
are needed in modern technologies, post-harvest
processing, and storage. Presently, only single
large producers are able to make such investments.
Total area for open field vegetables in the year
2000 was 3,900 ha with a total yield of 50,000
tonnes. Total yield included 1,300 ha of cabbage
(22,000 t), 700 ha of carrots (12,000 t), 600 ha of
food beet (6000 t), and 1,300 ha of other open
field vegetables (10,000 t).
Relating to the adjustment of production to
market needs and consumer preferences, research
was carried out to identify the available vegetable
varieties that had not yet spread to Estonia, their
suitability for local conditions, and the market
demand for these in Estonia. The results revealed a
demand for curled parsley, broccoli, and stalk
celery. The problem, however, is the high production
cost of these vegetables; their production
involves a large amount of manual work for which
the current the low market price does not cover.
According to expert assessment, the total area
for cold-frame vegetables in 2000 was 120 ha and
the total yield was 8,000 tonnes. The total area
included 52.7 ha for cucumber (4,000 t), 56.5 ha for
tomatoes (2,500 t) and 10.8 ha for other vegetables.
The total area of fruit trees and berry plantations
in 2000 was 11,900 ha according to expert
assessment. The total estimated yield was 28,000
tonnes, of which fruits accounted for 21,300
tonnes (8,450 ha) and berries accounted for 6,700
tonnes (3,450 ha).
Total yield and average yield of potatoes
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Total yield
Average yield
20
15
10
50
0
Average yield (t/ha)
In the year 2000, low-growth rootstock was
purchased from foreign countries for testing to
check their suitability for Estonia’s climate conditions.
Nurseries have started to grow rootstock to
propagate varieties suitable for fruit production. The
first apple plantations based on low-growth rootstock
were established in different regions in 2001.
Apple yields have been plentiful during recent
years and the market price for apples has been low.
Demand for drupes (plums, cherries) has been
stable and the yields have been satisfactory.
Demand for wild berries (cranberries, cowberries,
bilberries, brambles) has increased. Their
growing as crops has become a new branch of production
in the recent years. Exhausted peat
deposits, covering an area of ca 3000 ha in Estonia,
are suitable for cranberry production.
The production of sea buckthorn has begun to
spread in Estonia. The yields have been satisfactory.
The yield in Rõhu experimental station was 5 t/ha.
Extensive land improvement has
been undertaken in Estonia
A total of 730,000 ha of land have been drained in
Estonia; 649,000 ha by drainage systems and
81,000 ha by ditch systems. Polders have been built
on 7,900 ha and 10,500 km of roads have been
built in the course of land improvement work.
Land improvement systems require regular
maintenance in order to assure the drained areas do
not become too moist and eventually fall out of agricultural
use. The Ministry of Agriculture considers it
necessary to maintain 550,000 ha of drained land
when Estonia joins the European Union.
The maintenance of drainage systems is expensive;
Estonia has been aided in performing this
work by the World Bank and by organisations of
many different countries. During the last three
years, the World Bank loan has been used to
reconstruct the drainage mains and receiving water
bodies of drainage systems on more than
75,000 ha. The World Bank loan has not been used
to renew field drainage systems.
Since 1998, a land improvement and land
management pilot project has been implemented in
Estonia with support from Senter, an organisation of
the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the
Netherlands, and the Ministry of Agriculture,
Nature Conservation and Fisheries of the Netherlands.
The idea was generated in 1996 when the
World Bank loan project was launched. The project
provided for the reconstruction of land improvement
objects as well as the formation of land and
water associations.
The Dutch specialists recommended an
approach to the land use issues in a comprehensive
manner; use land re-allotment in conjunction with
maintenance of the improved land. Due to changes
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