Estonian agriculture faces a severe workforce crisis if the war in Ukraine ends and Ukrainian refugees return home, local farmer Kalle Hamburg has warned in a recent television interview.
Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Estonia after the start of the war made a major contribution to the local agricultural workforce.
“If it were to suddenly end and Ukrainians had somewhere to return home to, it would be a very, very serious problem for the agricultural sector,” Hamburg said.
Statistics Estonia analyzes the employment situation of Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection and the Ukrainian citizens staying in the country, but currently their methodology is being updated and new official data is not available.
The past three years had been difficult for the Estonian grain sector, Hamburg said, adding that even if farmers wanted to buy fertilizer in advance for this season, many lacked the necessary credit.
“Many have not been able to stock up on fertilizer, which means you’re buying it now at a high price – and that doesn’t bode well,” he said.
The price of special agricultural diesel has also risen sharply due to developments in Iran. A month ago, a liter of fuel cost about EUR 0.80, but it has now climbed to around EUR 1.40, the farmer notes.
Looking ahead, he sees robotization as a crucial development for agriculture to help replace missing workers.
He dismissed a past proposal by former Minister of Rural Affairs Arvo Aller to send schoolchildren to work in the fields as unrealistic.
“That idea seems somewhat unrealistic, because children have limited working hours. If a combine harvester goes out to the field at eight in the morning and returns in the dark, you can’t employ children for that. Secondly, children’s physical capacity simply doesn’t allow them to do many of the tasks,” Hamburg said.
Regarding high food prices in Estonia, the farmer said producers should not be blamed, adding that farmers were the weakest link in the supply chain.
“Since potatoes, bagged milk, bread, and white bread are staple basket goods, there is a price war around these products. There were times when bagged milk was twice as cheap as non-carbonated water – it’s irrational,” he noted. (ERR)