Finland
April 7, 2016
The past growing season saw record-breaking harvests of strawberries, raspberries and apples. The total amount of garden berries amounted to 17 million kilos and that of apples to 6 million kilos.
Total production of greenhouse vegetables for sale reached the usual level of 83 million kilos, while the total harvest of outdoor vegetables was only 166 million kilos.
Poor summer for carrots
Outdoor vegetable production decreased compared to the most recent years. The production area was slightly over 9,600 hectares. The harvest totalled 166 million kilos and declined by approximately 10% compared to the year before. Carrots were the most important outdoor vegetable in terms of the harvest amount. The carrot harvest was 10 million kilos lower than the year before, that is, less than 64 million kilos.
The cold and rainy early summer and the frosts in early October were challenging for carrots, as they were to many other outdoor vegetables. However, carrots accounted for almost 40% of the total harvest of outdoor vegetables. In terms of area, peas were the most significant outdoor vegetable, with nearly 3,500 hectares. The harvest was clearly lower than the year before, approximately 6 million kilos.
Favourable conditions for berries and apples
Apples broke the 6 million kilo milestone in 2015, and as usual, 75% of apples were grown in Åland. The season was also favourable for berries. A total of 17 million kilos were produced in an area of 5,834 hectares. The strawberry harvest rose to a new record of 14 million kilos, and the raspberry harvest was over million kilos.
– The record harvests of apples and berries were promoted by favourable weather conditions, in particular: the summer was cool enough and the amount of rain was just right. A weather that is considered bad by holidaymakers is good for berries, says Anna-Kaisa Jaakkonen, actuary at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
The introduction of high tunnel cultivation has increased berry crop levels, in particular. High tunnel cultivation refers to field cropping carried out under cover in tunnels erected with steel hoops and legs and covered with one layer of plastic that is removed for the winter. The tunnel cultivation area of berries was recorded for the first time in 2015, and it was 19 hectares. The most common species cultivated in tunnels are raspberry and strawberry.
Nearly 4 million kilos of special tomatoes
During the period that horticultural statistics have been compiled, the harvest amount of tomatoes has always exceeded the amount of greenhouse cucumbers produced. However, in 2015, the harvest amount of cucumbers exceeded that of tomatoes. The amount of cucumbers produced was 40 million kilos, while the tomato harvest was 38 million kilos. Total production of greenhouse vegetables remained unchanged, at 83 million kilos.
The production of special tomatoes, such as cherry, plum and beef tomatoes, has been increasing. The crop level of special tomatoes is clearly lower than that of standard tomatoes, but the price per kilo is higher.
– In 2015, the Natural Resources Institute Finland collected information on the cultivation of special tomatoes separately for the first time. They accounted for 3.8 million kilos or 10% of the total production of tomatoes, Jaakkonen says.
The total production of potted vegetables increased to a new record, 112 million pots. The most surprising increase was in the ‘other potted vegetables’ group. Its production rose to 13 million pots. This group includes a broad range of plants from pea shoots to coriander and wheat sprouts to red-veined dock. However, the long-term growth of potted lettuce production turned down, and only 82 million pots of lettuce were produced.
Background to the statistics
Information for horticultural statistics is collected once a year through online service and phone interviews from enterprises that grow horticultural products for sale. The survey, conducted in October-December 2015, included a total of 3,209 enterprises. Contrary to the previous survey, this survey was only targeted at those enterprises whose value of horticultural production for sale was at least EUR 10,000. For smaller enterprises, information on cultivation areas was obtained from the aid register, and their yields were estimated on the basis of average yields. Due to this change in the statistics method, the total number of horticultural enterprises increased slightly compared to the year before.
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