Fewer vegetables are being grown in Estonia because farms lack workers. This has led to higher quantities of vegetables now being imported from abroad than before. In 2019, Estonian farmers prepared 2,035 hectares of land on which to grow vegetables. This year, however, they have already halved that. The problem began during the pandemic when farm workers stopped coming to Estonia from abroad. The situation related to vegetable production has still not recovered.
According to Priit Põldma, lecturer at the Estonian University of Life Sciences (Maaülikool), who specializes in vegetable economics, domestically produced vegetables are becoming increasingly scarce. He added that another reason why farmers may also be reducing the amount of arable land dedicated to growing vegetables is because they are no longer able to use some of the crop protection products they previously employed.
Source: news.err.ee