Factors affecting garlic production in Latvia

Abstract

The population of Latvia is increasingly interested in the production of garlic both for self-consumption and for sales in the market. The research puts forward the following hypothesis: garlic production is affected by economic and production factors of diverse significance. The research aims to examine the factors affecting the production of garlic in Latvia. The specific research tasks are as follows: (1) to give the characteristics of garlic production in Latvia; (2) to identify and assess the factors affecting the production of garlic in Latvia. The research has found that in Latvia, garlic was grown in small areas as an auxiliary crop, mainly in Zemgale region representing 54 % of the total garlic area as well as in Pieriga region (16 %), as garlic is a resource-intensive crop and sensitive to weather conditions and soil composition. Consequently, soils tests have to be done and a number of garlic varieties have to be field-tested for several years before starting growing this crop in order to identify the best variety for the field and the best garlic growing technology. Five most significant factors affecting garlic production in Latvia were as follows: (1) large financial investments are needed to start growing garlic (expert rating 0.84), (2) quality and availability of planting material (0.66), (3) soil composition (0.50), (4) weather conditions (0.47) and (5) labour intensity (0.44). In the analysis period of 2013-2016, Latvia annually imported approximately 900 t of garlic, i.e. more that the country produced this commodity. The Netherlands and Spain were the most significant importers of garlic into Latvia, accounting for more than 85 % of the total imports of garlic.