Unfavourable weather conditions this winter caused considerable areas of grain sowings going rotten and wintered, as a result of this BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (hereinafter – BTA) shall disburse a sum larger by almost 30 times than one year ago in insurance indemnities to farmers. Altogether cereal-producing farmers have received 667 thousand euros for winter damage to sowings.

439 thousand euros disbursed for the winter sowings, total area 3000 hectares, as of November last year up to 1 March 2018, and as of March to the first half of May – 227 thousand euros more. As compared to the total amount in indemnities on winter sowings – 27 thousand euros disbursed last winter.

The problems began as early as the rainy autumn did. Tractors struggled in flooded fields that is why winter sowing was delayed and the plants never managed to get ready for winter. Things were going likewise for those who managed to sow the grains, because due to humidity part of sowings went rotten before the first frost began. Farmers, who grew winter rape and winter wheat, suffered the largest losses.

Sowings went well though the beginning of winter and farmers had a reason to hope that they will manage to avoid any significant damage. Misfortunately, situation got worse at the beginning of March.

“When air temperature went above zero and the largest part of the coat of snow that covered the fields melted, cold air entered the territory of Latvia and in some areas temperature went below -15 degrees. This resulted in the largest amount of winter crops going wintered,” Director of Insurance Claims Handling Department Kārlis Liepiņš retells the troubles of farmers.

39 claims received altogether, and damages to 12 farms were really impressive, the losses exceeded 20 thousand euros. One farmer growing rape suffered the largest impact; his sowings 360 hectares in area went wintered. Other farm suffered total loss of winter wheat 290 hectares in area.

The largest number of claims came from Latgale, where the last year appeared to be quite unfriendly for the farmers. Before the black frost and the chillsome autumn began, latgalians suffer the flood of the century at the end of August when not only the fields, but also the roads were flooded.

About BTA
BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1 000 employees in the Baltics. The largest shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG with 200 years of experience in the insurance industry. More than 50 companies in 25 countries constitute the group, which employs 25,000 employees. Vienna Insurance Group AG is a clear leader in its core markets in Europe maintaining high rating of financial stability – Standard & Poor’s A+ (stable outlook), with a listing on the Vienna and the Prague Stock Exchange.

Additional information:
Elīna Rasmane
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail: elina.rasmane@bta.lv