BERLIN, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The average purchase prices paid for agricultural land in Germany have risen "sharply" in recent years, according to data released on Wednesday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
Destatis showed that the level of prices for agricultural land in 2018, not including inventory and buildings, was 2.3 times as high as in 2009.
In the political debate about the price of agricultural land in Germany, the strong increases were often attributed to the purchase of land by "non-agricultural investors", Destatis data showed.
Low interest rates have led to farmland across Europe to become speculative assets. In Germany, the expansion of inland renewable energy like solar and wind also added a new form of usage to former farming areas.
According to Destatis, prices for agricultural land went up across the whole of Germany in the last ten years but varied from state to state.
The highest price increases were recorded in northern Germany, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the average price paid for arable land went up 190 percent while other parts of Germany only saw price increases of 50 percent.
