Latvia declares agricultural emergency as Madona farmers battle wet fields and costly inputs
A state of emergency in agriculture is in force across Latvia from 29 September 2026 to 10 January 2027. Guntis Žīlde, head of the Rural Support Service's Central Latvia regional office, explains how bad weather and high input prices are affecting farms in Madona municipality.
Latvia has declared a state of emergency in agriculture across the whole country, running from 29 September until 10 January 2027. Guntis Žīlde, head of the Central Latvia regional agricultural office of the Rural Support Service (LAD, the state agency that administers farm subsidies), discussed the season in Madona municipality. He says unfavourable weather has hit the sector for several years in a row.
Wet fields and sowing problems
In the second half of August, a storm and heavy rain hampered harvesting and the sowing of winter crops. In the first ten days of September, rainfall reached 55.8 mm, or 147% of the norm for that period. Waterlogged soil made it hard for machinery to move, so some fields were left unsown. Spring crops will have to be planted there next year, and these usually yield less, which could reduce the 2027 harvest. There is not yet enough data on how much land in Madona municipality remains unsown.
Madona municipality has 285 organic farms, the most in Latvia. Overly wet years are particularly difficult for them, since their options for controlling weeds and preventing soil compaction are more limited.
Input prices
Farm input prices, which surged in 2021 and 2022, remain higher than before the crisis in many categories. Mineral fertiliser prices in 2026 were roughly 73% above 2019 levels. Prices of plant protection products, electricity and diesel also remain well above pre-crisis levels. By contrast, the purchase price of food-grade buckwheat has risen by about 50% over the year to 600 euros per tonne.
Support payments
This year LAD began paying a 75% advance of the sustainability-promoting basic income support (ISIP) on 15 September, a month earlier than in previous years. From 16 October it has been paying 85% advances under the organic farming scheme; 15 million euros were paid on the first day, with further payments planned from 1 December.
Žīlde backs the emergency declaration because it allows looser conditions for receiving support and longer deadlines for work. However, it does not automatically guarantee compensation or deferral of tax and loan payments.
In 2026, Madona municipality farmers submitted 2,524 applications for ISIP and the small farmers' payment, declaring 90,776 hectares of farmland. A fuller assessment of the season will be possible in December and January.
