ZAGREB, 26 Jan (Hina) – Arable land in Croatia was the cheapest in the EU again in 2022, with the average price of one hectare being €3,700, show Eurostat data.
In 2022, the average price of 1 hectare of arable land in the EU was €10,578.
One hectare of arable land cost the most in Malta, an average of €233,230, reflecting the limited availability of agricultural land and the pressure for alternative uses.
Arable land prices were high also in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Ireland, where the price of one hectare of arable land ranged from €85,000 to 38,000.
In Greece, the Czech Republic, Poland and Spain, prices were around the European average.
Arable land in Croatia was the cheapest in the EU in 2022, the average price per hectare being €3,700, almost the same as in 2021.
Closest to Croatia in terms of the average price per hectare were Latvia and Slovakia, where one hectare of arable land cost an average €4,420 and €4,790 respectively.
Eurostat did not have data on arable land prices in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal and Cyprus.
Agricultural rents cheapest in Slovakia
The average rent in the EU for arable land and/or permanent grassland in 2022 was €199 per hectare.
Among the countries for which data were available, Slovakia had the cheapest agricultural rent, of an average €57 per hectare.
Croatia was close by, with the average price of agricultural rent being €74 per hectare.
Agricultural rent was the most expensive in the Netherlands, an average €843 per hectare.
In Hungary and Lithuania agricultural rent was almost equal to the EU average.
Eurostat did not have data on the price of agricultural rent in Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Poland and Romania.