One of the largest horticultural peat extraction and processing companies in Latvia – “Laflora” – has concluded its 2026 peat extraction season, having harvested the largest volume of peat in a single season to date – a total of 181 thousand tonnes – which is 58% more than last year, when 115 thousand tonnes were extracted.
This year, “Laflora” carried out horticultural peat extraction across 1990 hectares of licensed land – in the bogs it owns in the Jelgava region: Kaigu, Drabiņu and Viršu bogs, as well as in leased extraction areas in the Augšdaugava region – the Nīcgales bog. The peat extraction season began in April and concluded in October. Significantly, this season saw the full opening for extraction of the entire 125-hectare licensed area in the Viršu bog, where peat extraction had only partially commenced last year.
This year’s extraction volumes will allow the company to maintain the current price levels for horticultural peat substrates and products on the local market for the next season as well.
New peat extraction areas
This year, “Laflora” acquired another peat extraction company with valid peat extraction licences – SIA “Kūdra”, which extracts peat from 171 hectares of licensed land leased from AS “Latvijas valsts meži” in the Ozolēnu and Žļaugu bogs in the Ogre region. It is projected that the acquisition of SIA “Kūdra” will allow “Laflora” to increase its peat extraction volumes by an average of 10% per year in the coming years.
Global demand for peat is growing, logistics are becoming more complex and expensive
In the first ten months of this year, “Laflora” export volumes reached 7,372 shipments, which is 8% more than in the same period last year. Products were exported to 65 countries, mostly to Europe (68%) and Asia (20%). This year, new export markets such as Trinidad and Tobago, Sudan and Tanzania have been added. The largest impact on exports this year has been caused by the conflict in Iran and its unpredictable outcome – ranging from changes in container logistics to the conflict-affected region to the overall rise in production and logistics costs due to increasing oil product prices.
“Laflora’s” net turnover for the first 10 months of 2026 was 38.23 million EUR, which is 35% more than in the corresponding period last year. Investments in company development this year have already reached 3.02 million EUR – peat extraction infrastructure has been developed in the Viršu bog, including the construction of a 1.3 km road network, the preparation of new extraction areas, and the installation of an electricity connection; parking areas have been built, access roads have been asphalted, the weighbridge building at the production site has been renovated, 115 hectares of land have been purchased in the Jelgava region, and peat extraction and production equipment has been acquired and the fleet expanded.
“Again this year, similar to recent years, we are seeing a growth in demand for horticultural peat substrates on international markets, but unfortunately, we can only meet this partially due to limited extraction areas. Thanks to its climatic conditions and vast peatland territories, which cover about 10% of the country, Latvia is truly a global superpower in peat. The peat industry is capable of securing up to 100 million euros in additional revenue for the state budget by 2030 by increasing the export of a product that is in global demand, but decisive action from the state is required – to provide new areas for horticultural peat extraction. This natural resource must not only be protected for future generations but also used in a balanced and wise manner for national development,” emphasises Uldis Ameriks, Chairman of the Board of “Laflora”.
This year, for the first time, “Laflora” has prepared a voluntary Sustainability Report, which systematically compiles information in one place regarding the company’s most significant environmental, social and governance aspects, as well as its 2025 sustainability performance indicators.
Wind farm under construction in former peat fields
Since the autumn of 2024, “Laflora” has been managing the construction of the AS “Latvenergo” wind farm “Laflora Energy” on former peat extraction fields in the Kaigu bog in the Jelgava region, which the company owns. Infrastructure and turbine construction have already been completed, and this year, the operational testing of the wind farm is taking place – including the grid code compliance tests required for high voltage – ahead of commissioning, which is planned for the coming months. The “Laflora Energy” wind farm is a Latvian project in the renewable energy sector – “Laflora” is managing the construction of the wind farm owned by the national energy company in cooperation with local construction supervision company SIA “Forma 2”, wind farm developer SIA “Windy” and general contractor SIA “UPB Nams”. In total, more than 14 local companies are involved in the project.
SIA “Laflora” is one of the largest peat extraction and processing companies in Latvia, operating since 1995. The company’s operations cover peat extraction, processing, and the production of high-value-added peat products and substrates for horticulture, agriculture and forestry.