TALLINN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Estonian government aims to grow or harvest organic products on at least 51 percent of Estonia's land area in 2021, official statistics showed on Thursday.
With the organic area targets approved for 2021, Estonian Minister of Rural Affairs Tarmo Tamm said that a large share of organic farmland in total agricultural land, and that of ecologically and sustainably managed forestland in the country's total land area are Estonia's advantages.
"These indicators help establish Estonia's image as an organic country as well as raise awareness about Estonia, thereby contributing to the export of organic products and services," Tamm was quoted as saying in a press release.
Approximately 200,000 hectares of farmland was organically farmed in Estonia in 2017, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the country's total agricultural land, and the size of organically farmed farmland is expected to rise to 250,000 hectares for 2021, according to the press release.
Meanwhile, almost 2 million hectares of forestland was being managed in a manner that qualifies it for being registered as organic foraging range for 2021, and approximately 260,000 hectares of organic foraging areas have already been registered, it added.
Estonia regards organic economy as a significant area of the economy and exports to increase the export of products with value-added by Estonian businesses as well as create the preconditions for the creation of new jobs.
