GDP

Agriculture is a traditional sector of Lithuania’s economy, which employs 14.8% of the workforce. After Poland, this is the second highest index among the new EU member states. About 6% of Lithuania’s GDP come from agriculture (in 1998 the figure was 10%), and it brings about 12% of export revenue into the country. Two thirds of Lithuanian farms are up to 5 ha in size. The average size of a farm is 10.6 ha of land.

The agricultural production includes cereals, beet, maize, potatoes, flax and sugar beet. Cereals account for about 20% of the value of the gross agricultural product. Every year, nearly one million ha are sown with cereals. Winter crops, mainly wheat, account for almost half the area. Barley prevails in spring crops.

Organic farming started developing a decade ago. The number of farms cultivating ecological products increases every year by 20-30%. Cereals, potatoes, vegetables and dairy dominate the ecological sector. By 2010, eco farms are expected to account to 15% of arable land.

A few thousand of people are engaged in non-traditional agriculture: growing medicinal plants and herbs, cultivating mushrooms, rearing young animals and rare birds, growing berries and exotic vegetables. There is also a long-standing tradition of beekeeping.

One of the fastest-growing branches is dairy production. The annual milk yield is nearly two million tonnes, which is processed mainly by three largest enterprises: „Rokiškio sūris”, „Pieno žvaigždės” and „Žemaitijos pienas.”