Statistics: Pesticide sales in Estonia down for second year in a row

According to data provided by Statistics Estonia, 713.5 tonnes of pesticides were placed on the market in Estonia in 2023. This was ten percent less than in 2022. Herbicides were once again the most commonly sold type of pesticides.

Herbicides accounted for 72 percent of the total amount of pesticides sold in Estonian in 2023, while 16 percent were fungicides, 10 percent growth regulators and 1.4 percent were insecticides.

Compared to the figures for 2022, there was a decline in sales of growth regulators and fungicides, while the volume of insecticides sold rose slightly. After a downward trend in the previous year, an increase was seen in the quantity of herbicides placed on the market in 2023.

Swen Peterson, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that herbicides have been the most commonly sold form of plant protection product for several years. "In 2023, herbicide sales totaled 516 tonnes, which is nearly 10 tonnes more than in 2022. However, the quantity of growth regulators sold was a third lower and the volume of fungicides almost a quarter lower than in 2022," Peterson added.

Compared to other European Union member states, the absolute quantities of pesticides placed on the market in Estonia are relatively small. For example, in 2022, the quantities of the three major types of pesticides sold – herbicides, fungicides and insecticides – were 64,000 tonnes in France, 54,000 tonnes in Spain, 45,000 tonnes in Germany and 1,400 tonnes in neighboring Latvia. The sales of these three product categories in Estonia totaled 644 tonnes in 2023.

In terms of the amounts of plant protection products sold per hectare of utilized agricultural area in 2022, Malta led the way with 9.4 kg, followed by Cyprus with 8.2 kg and the Netherlands with 4.9 kg per hectare. In Latvia and Estonia the quantities per hectare were 0.92 kg and 0.72 kg, respectively.

Pesticides are not only used for agricultural purposes but also in forestry, the wood processing industry, road and railway maintenance, sports grounds, playgrounds and parks. Some pesticides are also available for members of the public to buy and use in their home gardens.