Tunnel production for berries in strong growth last year
In 2021, Finland produced a total of 308 million kilos of vegetables, berries and fruit. This volume was slightly lower than in 2020. The number of horticultural enterprises totalled 3,167, having nearly 20,000 hectares of fields and 370 hectares of greenhouses in horticultural production. In addition, the outdoor tunnel production area increased to 107 hectares. Even though the number of enterprises continued to decrease, the total area of horticultural production remained unchanged outdoors, but decreased slightly in greenhouse production.
The year 2021 was challenging for producers whose product range was directed at restaurants and institutional kitchens. Certainly, rapid changes in marketing channels and product packaging had already to be made in the previous year. Permits for foreign seasonal workers proceeded more smoothly than in 2020.
With regard to weather conditions, the record-breaking heat last June presented challenges. The hot weather caused strawberries to ripen early, resulting in a shortage of pickers. Nevertheless, the strawberry yield was more than 16 million kilos. The total berry harvest amounted to 20 million kilos, with raspberry and blackcurrant yields being the highest after the strawberry yield.
“The drought reduced yields in outdoor production especially in Southwest Finland, the key region for outdoor horticultural production. Certain unirrigated crops did not even produce any yields. The drought had a particularly negative impact on garden peas,” says Anna-Kaisa Jaakkonen, senior statistician at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Most raspberries produced in tunnels
To reduce the weather risk and extend the harvest season, berries are increasingly being produced in tunnels. In 2021, the tunnel production area increased by 26 hectares compared to 2020.
It is estimated that a little more than a million kilos, or 70 per cent, of the raspberry yield were produced in tunnels. The harvest level in tunnel production can be estimated to be 27,000 kilos per hectare. The majority, or 66 hectares, of the tunnel area was used in strawberry production. Less than three million kilos of strawberries were produced in tunnels, with the estimated harvest level being 30,000 kilos per hectare.
Stock vegetables and apples provide food security for the winter
Stock vegetables are important in a country with a short growing season. Measured by kilos, root vegetables form the basis of outdoor vegetable production. Last summer, root vegetable production totalled 98 million kilos, of which carrots accounted for 76 million kilos. The onion yield was 29 million kilos and the cabbage yield 20 million kilos. The total outdoor vegetable yield was 173 million kilos, just below the regular harvest level.
The apple harvest was the second highest ever recorded at 7.9 million kilos. The total fruit harvest amounted to eight million kilos.
Production of special tomatoes increasing
Of the total tomato yield of 38 million kilos, special tomatoes such as plum and cherry tomatoes already accounted for seven million kilos. The total production of tomatoes decreased by 3.7 million kilos from 2020. The greenhouse cucumber yield totalled 53 million kilos, a million kilos less than in the previous year.
The production of greenhouse vegetables totalled 97 million kilos. In addition, a total of 107 million pots of vegetables were produced, up by roughly three million from the previous year. Converted into kilos, the potted vegetable yield was 10 million kilos.
“The group “others” has shown the highest growth in recent years. The group of other potted vegetables is highly varied, with the most common being coriander, pea shoots and mints, but also including many fresh leaf plants found normally from the spice rack,” Jaakkonen says.
Nurseries and ornamental plant production are an important part of horticultural production
In addition to edible products, Finland produced ornamental plants in greenhouses over an area of 113 hectares: 78 million bulbous flowers, 6.4 million potted flowers and 35 million summer flowers. Seedlings and cut flowers were also produced outdoors over an area of more than 300 hectares.
Background to the statistics
Luke collected data for the statistics from approximately 2 880 horticultural enterprises using an online survey and telephone interviews. The statistics on energy consumption by greenhouse enterprises in 2021 will be published on 15 March.
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