Procedures for Forecasting the Productivity of Crops and Calculating the Gross Margin

Issued pursuant to
Section 13, Paragraph five of the Law
on Agriculture and Rural Development

1. This Regulation prescribes the procedures for forecasting the productivity of crops and the procedures for calculating the gross margin for groups of crop production and livestock.

2. The tasks of the public administration to forecast the productivity of crops and calculate the gross margin for groups of crop production and livestock shall be performed by sabiedrība ar ierobežotu atbildību "Latvijas lauku konsultāciju un izglītības centrs" [limited liability company Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre] (hereinafter - the Centre). In the performance of the aforementioned tasks, the Centre shall be subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture.

3. Until 1 February of the current year, the Centre shall submit for agreement to the Ministry of Agriculture the plan and estimate of expenditures for the forecast of the productivity of crops, and also the report on the use of financing in the previous year.

4. The plan for the forecast of the productivity of crops shall include:

4.1. surveying plan for the crop species to be surveyed, i.e., winter and spring wheat, rye, triticale, spring barley, oats, meslin, buckwheat, potatoes, spring and winter rape, broken down by regions in accordance with the data published by the Central Statistical Bureau (hereinafter - the Bureau) on the placement of sowing fields and plantations within the territory of the country in the previous year;

4.2. survey methodology for each group of crops, i.e., cereals, rape, potatoes, including survey techniques, selection of the field and time schedule, and also the method for the calculation of the average productivity forecast in regions;

4.3. time limits for the survey, laying down that the winter crops, spring crops and potatoes need to be surveyed three times during the vegetation period, and the field of the crops needs to be surveyed in two different phases of development two times during the period, but the third survey needs to be made after harvesting.

5. Until the twenty-fifth day of each month, the Centre shall electronically submit to the Ministry of Agriculture reports on the results of yield forecasts by regions in the vegetation period (May-October) in accordance with the survey scheme referred to in Paragraph 4.3 of this Regulation.

6. The Centre shall calculate the gross margin for groups of crop production and livestock as follows:

6.1. by including calculations in breakdown by groups of the intensification of holdings, i.e., the intensive, extensive and organic farming models;

6.2. by using the indicators of the optimum production technology of the specific model referred to in Sub-paragraph 6.1 of this Regulation;

6.3. by taking into account revenues, variable costs, operations of machines and manual work, costs of the employed labour and support;

6.4. by attributing the calculations of crop production to one hectare;

6.5. by attributing calculations of groups of livestock to one animal of the specific species in the calendar year (bred calves and heifers, animals for fattening - in the breeding period).

7. The Centre shall prepare the list of groups of crop production and livestock for the previous year based on the data published by the Bureau on the areas of crop production and number of livestock in the previous year, and also the estimate of expenditures for the preparation of gross margin, and shall submit them for agreement to the Ministry of Agriculture until 1 February of the current year.

8. Until 1 March of the current year, the Centre shall publish on its website the preliminary results on the calculation of gross margin for the previous year, but the final results shall be published until 1 June of the current year. Until 1 November of the current year, the Centre shall submit to the Ministry of Agriculture the report on the use of financing for the preparation of gross margin.

9. The Regulation shall come into force on 1 January 2023.

Prime Minister A. K. Kariņš

Minister for Agriculture D. Šmits

Translation © 2026 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)