Pesticide sales were up by 10% last year

Swen Peterson, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that herbicides are still the most sold type of plant protection products. “In 2024, sales of herbicides totalled 597 tonnes, which is over 80 tonnes more than in 2023. Sales of insecticides increased by a fourth, while sales of fungicides decreased by a tenth compared with 2023,” explained Peterson.

Herbicides accounted for 76%, fungicides for 13%, growth regulators for 9% and insecticides for 1.6% of the total amount of pesticides sold. In recent years, there has been a rise in the sold quantities of herbicides and insecticides, but the quantities of fungicides and growth regulators sold have declined.

Compared with other European Union countries, the absolute quantities of pesticides placed on the market in Estonia are relatively small. “For example, in 2023, the biggest quantity of pesticides was sold in France – 65,400 tonnes. It was followed by Spain with 52,900 tonnes and Germany with 40,500 tonnes. Looking at Estonia’s closest neighbours, the quantity of pesticides sold was 3,251 tonnes in Finland, 3,013 tonnes in Lithuania, and 1,666 tonnes in Latvia,” noted Peterson.

Another indicator is the amount of plant protection products sold per hectare of utilised agricultural area – in 2023, Malta was at the top with 10.3 kg per hectare, followed by Cyprus with 6.8 kg and the Netherlands with 4 kg per hectare. The quantities per hectare were 1.43 kg in Finland, 1.05 kg in Lithuania, 0.85 kg in Latvia, and 0.79 kg in Estonia.

Pesticides are used not only for agricultural purposes but also in forestry, the wood processing industry, road and railway maintenance, sports grounds, playgrounds and parks. Some pesticides can be bought for use in home gardens.

Pesticides placed on the market are pesticides bought abroad and brought to Estonia for sale. Pesticides are used for weed, plant pest, parasite and insect control. The use of pesticides can fluctuate from year to year depending on climate conditions and variability in plant damages and diseases.

Statistics Estonia collects and analyses data on the sales and use of pesticides for the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, with the aim to obtain data on the environment in Estonia.

For international comparison, data on pesticide sales in other European Union countries, published in the Eurostat database, have been used (the most recent data available refer to 2023).

See also the agriculture and environment section on our website. More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.

When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
 

For further information:

Heidi Kukk
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)

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