Latvia’s grain harvesting and transportation season began in August this year and it is very intensive – 569,540 tonnes of grain were carried domestically in August and September using SJSC Latvijas Dzelzceļš (LDz) infrastructure. LDz’s long experience and coordinated cooperation have enabled transportation of the largest volume of grain domestically in the past ten years.

Traditionally, grain threshing, harvesting and transportation begins in July. This year, August was the busiest month for grain transportation, with 327,540 tonnes of grain transported. In September, the volume was lower – 242,000 tonnes.

Compared to August and September 2019, domestic transportation volume increased by 30.5 per cent. In the past two months, a total of 914,300 tonnes of local and foreign grain cargo was transported using Latvijas Dzelzceļš infrastructure.

In the first nine months of this year – from January to September – 809,540 tonnes of local grain were transported in Latvia, the highest volume in the past ten years.

SJSC Latvijas Dzelzceļš board chairman Māris Kleinbergs explained that “This year’s grain transportation volume has been record-high and Latvijas Dzelzceļš has been able to achieve it thanks to our ability to work intensively and operationally adapt to different situations and climate conditions. It should be also underscored that the increase of domestically transported grain volume is proof of coordinated cooperation among Latvijas Dzelzceļš, ports and the grain sector representatives”.

The bulk of the local grain cargo was transported by rail to port stations in Riga, Liepaja and Ventpils. In total, 498,240 tonnes of grain were transported to ports in August and September, while 680,810 tonnes of local grain were transported in the first nine months of the year. Grain transportation will continue in October, but at lower volumes than in August and September.

(Source: LDz)