For how much is arable land sold and rented in Lithuania

"Land sales and rental prices are rising, and in some places larger plots need to be searched for with a flashlight. As before, farmers and so-called speculators who resell or rent land are competing for land. By paying more for land and its rent, farmers do not forget that agricultural production purchase prices have not risen so much that they would allow them to spend a lot.

 

More value zones have emerged

 

There are many components in the land market that determine the price of selling, purchasing and renting agricultural land - it can vary slightly or even very significantly. Arable land in productive areas can have higher price, while meadows in infertile areas can have a completely different price.

 

According to data from the National Land Service under the Ministry of the Environment (NŽT), the average market value of agricultural land plots has increased by an average of 1.09 times since the beginning of 2025, compared to 2024 – increased the most in Šilutė, Šilalė, Tauragė, Alytus, Kaunas districts and Kaunas city, and in Vilnius city municipality – about 1.16 times.

 

On January 1, 2025, new land mass valuation documents approved by the National Land Registry – land value maps – come into force. They are prepared annually by the Center of Registers (RC), and checked and approved by the National Land Registry.

 

According to the National Land Registry, the newly approved land value maps consist of 1,538 value zones, which are determined based on market data analysis – transactions concluded in a specific zone during the previous calendar year and their values ​​– and reflect the impact of local influencing factors on land value.

 

More and more value zones are determined every year, because in this way the aim is to determine the average market value of specific land plots as accurately as possible, which would best correspond to real estate market prices and trends. In 2025, compared to the previous year, 33 more zones were determined. According to the National Land Registry, in 2024 there were 1,505 such zones, in 2023 – 1,464, in 2022 – 1,429, in 2021 – 1,399, in 2020 – 1,348, and in 2004, when value maps were started to be compiled, there were only 413 such zones in the entire territory of Lithuania.

 

It is difficult to find larger pieces

 

In different regions of Lithuania, movements in the land market are quite uneven – in one place the market is more active, in another there are fewer transactions. And the prices are very uneven.

 

Arūnas Mitrius, a farmer from the Kėdainiai district, said that there are definitely people selling land in this region, the supply is considerable, the land market has been quite active recently, and the price of land has risen slightly – from 7,000 to 9,000 EUR per hectare is being asked.

 

According to the data of the RC and the Agricultural Data Center (ŽŪDC), in 2023 the average purchase price of arable land in this district reached 6870 EUR, in the neighboring Kaunas district – 7123 EUR, and the most expensive purchase price was in Pasvalys district – 8301 EUR. In Zarasai district, the average price per hectare of arable land was 2356 EUR, in Utena district – 2904 EUR, and, for example, in Žemaitija, Plungė district – 3895 EUR.

 

“Both smaller and larger pieces are for sale, only for larger plots you need to negotiate more, because they ask for a higher price. They sell both ten and twenty hectares, they also offer to buy smaller plots, they are somewhat cheaper, respectively,” said A. Mitrius.

 

Darius Mejeris, a farmer from the Raseiniai district, noted that the price of land depends on many nuances – primarily on fertility, the size of the plot being sold, the location, infrastructure and other circumstances.

 

“If the land is fertile and is a good piece, then the price is, of course, higher. The price also depends on the interests of those around you and the competitors nearby. Of course, plots have become more expensive, after all, land is an asset that has never become cheap and, I think, will not become cheap. Another thing when talking about prices – how to measure value? Maybe the purchase value has fallen, so it is not known how to say: is the euro falling or prices rising. Here’s how you can look at it,” said the farmer.

 

In 2023, the average price of arable land per hectare in the Raseiniai district was 4,849 euros, and this year, according to the people of Raseiniai, the price ranges from 5,500 to 6,000–6,500 euros.

 

“It should be borne in mind that the fertility of our land is not as good as in the Šakiai or Joniškis regions. In our country, the productivity of the land in the same field can be 30 points, or 45 or 50 points. So, the difference is large, which is why the sales prices can be different,” said D. Mejeris.

 

According to him, the land market is moving, but smaller areas are being sold - 4, 5 or 6 hectares, and not many people are offering larger arrays, although they used to be more common. “We used to buy 15 or 20 hectares, so those times are probably over. It can be said that there may not be any such land plots left, the plots have already been formed and are being worked. Maybe only those farmers who are retiring from milk production are selling. Let's say people retire and leave the activity, then they sell or rent the land plot,” said a grain grower from the Raseiniai district.

 

The lands in the Šakiai district are among the most fertile, with strong dairy producers, vegetable growers, and grain growers working here, so probably every farm would not refuse to buy a larger or smaller piece of land, but the supply of land – limited.

 

In Šakiai district, arable land was purchased for an average of 7,442 EUR/ha in 2023. Now you can ask for about 10 thousand EUR/ha.

 

“Land is definitely not wasted here. Yes, it is expensive, but the most important thing is that there is no way to buy it, if you wanted to buy it, you will not find it. The land here is quite fertile, valuable and its use is already more or less established. You can expect to buy it when landowners withdraw from agricultural activities and sell the land.

 

It is usually acquired by those who rent it, they have the right of priority, and then everyone else can apply,” said Vygantas Mikšta, a farmer from Šakiai.

 

Speculators also target land

 

Land is bought by both farmers and larger concerns. Farmers usually take up adjacent plots for sale, but land is also targeted by so-called speculators who rent the purchased land to farmers or try to resell it at a higher price.

 

"Such speculators are everywhere, but what matters here is how the agreement is reached with the land seller. If both the owner and the farmer are satisfied with the price, then the farmer buys, but if he cannot afford it, then the process is launched more broadly.

 

Selling the land will definitely not be a problem, there will always be those who want to buy it," noted V. Mikšta.

 

According to D. Mejeris, farmers in their region are quite fair and do not jump over each other's heads when buying land. "After all, there is a provision in the law according to which the priority to buy the offered land is the one who rents it and works it, others do not go there. If you yourself do not behave this way, your neighbors will not do it either," said the grain farmer.

 

Small plots are not easy to sell

 

Real estate broker Tomas Kazlauskis said that he has not noticed any major changes in the agricultural land market. On the other hand, according to him, comparing price changes is quite difficult, because the value of land, as farmers have mentioned, depends on many factors.

 

"The increase or decrease in price is influenced by the location of the land, its fertility, the size of the plot, etc. In general, as far as we can see, there is no significant change in prices in one direction or the other, except for larger plots. But such plots are also sold without advertisements, agreements are made with farmers who rent them out," the real estate broker noted.

 

He mentioned that it is much more difficult to sell small plots, while buyers quickly appear for larger plots. "When selling small areas, you usually need to contact the National Land Registry for the sale, they make an offer to the users of neighboring plots and they buy it. But it is not a common case that neighbors buy, everyone wants to buy cheaper than the market price. So most often we find a buyer and offer to sell," said T. Kazlauskis.

 

Rental price scissors

 

There are also considerable rental price scissors for fertile and infertile lands - from less than 100 euros to 400 euros and more.

 

According to the ŽŪDC, in 2023 the average rental price per hectare of arable land was less than a hundred euros in Rokiškis, Šalčininkai, Zarasai and other unproductive regions, and, for example, in Pakruojis district it reached an average of 310 euros, in Marijampolė district - 263 euros, in Pasvalys - 260 euros.

 

In Raseiniai district farmers pay 160, 180, and 200 EUR/ha for land rent. Rent is not cheap, so farmers have to allocate more and more income for it.

 

According to A. Mitrias, the average land rent in Kėdainiai district is about 250 EUR/ha “on paper”. According to his observation, it has increased by about 20–30 percent over the past 3 years.

 

V. Mikšta from Šakiai mentioned that farmers in this region have to open their wallets even wider for land rent – ​​they pay from 200 to 400 EUR/ha. “The rent price also depends on the year, situation, wishes and possibilities and, of course, on the condition of the land. No one will pay a lot of money for barren land, and if the land is productive, in a good location, with good access, then there will be an appropriate price,” the farmer claimed.

 

While paying more for land and its rent, farmers do not forget that agricultural produce purchase prices have not risen so much that they would allow them to spend a lot. “Rationally speaking, we are not paid as much for our production as the landowners ask for. Production purchase prices have hardly changed for a good five years, they only fluctuate more or less, but everything else has become very expensive – fertilizers, chemicals, wages, land rent,” V. Mikšta listed.”