Springtime and early summer drought followed by late summer heavy raining reduced harvest levels in large parts of the country in 2023. The total eco-approved grain harvest was 22 percent lower than the average for the last five years, including the drought-induced crop failure in 2018.

Lower yields in organic farming

The yield per hectare is lower in organic farming than in conventional cultivation. This is partly because chemical plant protection products and synthetically produced mineral fertilizers are not used in organic farming. As an example, it can be mentioned that the yield of oats in 2023 was 36 percent lower in organic farming in the plain districts in Southern Götaland than in the corresponding conventional cultivation in the area.

Unusual and more low-yielding varieties also occur more often in organic farming than in conventional cultivation. In addition to spelt wheat, this also applies to, for example, einkorn wheat, Öland wheat, emmer and naked oats.

Total production of organically farmed peas decreased

The total production of peas approved for sale with organic labelling was estimated at 6 200 tonnes in 2023. This is a 44 percent decrease compared to the total production in 2022. The yield per hectare of organically farmed peas decreased by 45 percent, compared with the yield in 2022.

Decreased area of organically farmed winter rape contributed to lower production

The area of organically cultivated winter rape decreased by 35 percent, compared to 2022 and reached 6 500 hectares. For winter rape the total harvest that was converted and approved for sale with organic labelling decreased by 7 900 tonnes or 42 percent to 11 100 tonnes. The yield per hectare decreased by 10 percent.

Organically farmed table potatoes

The total production of table potatoes approved for sale with organic labelling was estimated at 29 700 tonnes, which was slightly lower than in 2022. Up to 7 percent of Sweden's total harvest of table potatoes was organically cultivated, compared to about 10 percent of the acreage in 2022.

Production levels in organic and non-organic farming

A more detailed report on this survey and results for individual crops is published in Statistical Report JO0608 and is available on the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s website www.jordbruksverket.se under Statistics. Yields per hectare for various crops and in various regions are compared here between organic and non-organic farming.

More about the statistics

More information about the statistics, tables, and graphs is available on the websites of Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Board of Agriculture.

Previous publications

Data on yields and production from organic and non-organic farming has been collected since 2003. The results are presented in the Swedish Board of Agriculture database and in the Statistical Reports. The statistics are based on data from farmers who apply these two forms of farming in practice.