potatoes; 306 thousand tons of barley; 229 thousand tons of rapeseed; 188 thousand tons of oat; 81 thousand tons of rye; 80 thousand tons of beans; and smaller quantities of other agricultural products.[1]
History
The Soviet authorities socialized agriculture, permitting only small private plots and animal holdings on the vast state and
Under Soviet rule, Latvia became a major supplier of meat and dairy products to the Soviet Union.[2] From 1940 to 1990, livestock production nearly doubled; by contrast, crop cultivation increased by only 14 percent, despite major investments in soil drainage and fertilization projects.[2] In 1990, Latvia exported 10 percent of its meat and 20 percent of its dairy products to other Soviet republics, in return for which it obtained agricultural equipment, fuel, feed grains, and fertilizer.[2] As the centralized Soviet system collapsed, however, a shortage of feed and the rising costs of farm equipment took a toll.[2] From 1990 to 1991, the number of animals on state and collective farms in Latvia fell by up to 23 percent.[2] Consequently, the output of meat, milk products, and eggs from these farms declined by 6 to 7 percent.[2]
In 1990, Latvia had 2,567,000 hectares of agricultural land—32 percent less than in 1935.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
