Due to favourable weather conditions, Finland’s organic grain harvest in 2022 was record-breaking. At the same time, the organic farming area increased, but the number of organic farms decreased. The war in Ukraine, followed by strong inflation and rising food prices, had a significant impact on the organic market in groceries. The “Organics in Finland 2022” compilation gathers together last year’s public organic farming statistics.
A profitability crisis marked Finnish agriculture in 2022. The prices of production inputs and energy increased, accelerated by the war in Ukraine, and organic farms also faced higher energy and fuel costs. At the same time, the rise in food prices had a negative impact on the organic market in the groceries. The value of the organic market decreased by eight percent compared to the previous year and amounted to approximately 375 million euros. However, organic exports slightly increased compared to 2020, reaching 59 million euros.
”Price is currently a significant factor in consumer purchasing decisions, and people actively seek cheaper alternatives in stores. I don’t believe that this year will be easy for the organic market either, but it’s great to see that organic exports continue to show a positive trend, and it would be good to invest in that area now,” analysed Aura Lamminparras, the Executive Director of Pro Luomu.
In 2022, 15% of the agricultural land was dedicated to organic production, but this year the area is expected to decrease slightly
In 2022, 152 new farms transitioned to organic farming, while 194 farms ceased their organic operations. The total number of organic farms decreased by one percent. However, despite the decrease in the number of farms, the organic farmland increased by four percent. Last year, 15 percent of Finland’s total arable land was dedicated to organic production.
According to preliminary information, the number of organic farms is expected to decrease this year as well. Based on the initial estimates by the Finnish Food Authority, approximately six percent of organic farms will exit the organic certification system in 2023. However, this is not yet anticipated to have an equally significant impact on the actual organic farmland, which, according to this estimation, would decrease by two percent.
This year, organic farms are primarily exiting the organic sector in North Karelia, Northern Savonia, and Kainuu, while the changes in the number of organic farms are estimated to be minimal in Pirkanmaa, Uusimaa, Southwest Finland, and South Ostrobothnia. The withdrawal from organic farming has been accelerated by the new agricultural subsidy conditions that came into effect this year. The new subsidy conditions pose challenges, especially for mixed farms with a predominant focus on grassland, i.e., farms with organic crop production and conventional animals.
”The proportion of exiting organic farms in different regions clearly correlates with the proportion of grassland in the cultivated area. The more grassland-oriented the organic farming is, the higher the number of exiting organic farms – and vice versa,” reflects Senior Inspector Sampsa Heinonen from the Finnish Food Authority, who compiled the assessment.
Favourable weather conditions resulted in a record-breaking organic grain harvest, and the organic bilberry harvest was also excellent
In 2022, a record-breaking organic grain harvest of 177.8 million kilograms was achieved, which was 55 percent larger than in 2021. The organic grain harvest accounted for approximately 5 percent of Finland’s total grain harvest. The highest production in organic farming was organic oats, which constituted around 9 percent of the country’s total oat production. Rye, on the other hand, was the most organic grain, comprising 14 percent of the nation’s rye production.
”Organic grain production has grown very strongly over the past five years as the organic sector has expanded in grain-growing areas. Organic oats are a highly valued Finnish export product, and nearly one-third of Finland’s milling product exports were organic in 2022,” Lamminparras explains.
Due to the hot summer in June and July and the rainy August, the organic bilberry harvest also turned out excellent. A total of 4.3 million kilograms of organic bilberries were collected for sale, which was 1.4 million kilograms more than in 2021.
Due to drought, the organic lingonberry harvest, on the other hand, was weaker in some areas compared to 2021. Overall, in 2022, approximately 45 percent of all bilberries collected for sale were organic bilberries, about 17.4 percent of cranberries were organic cranberries, and 63 percent of cloudberries were organic cloudberries.
Organic berries are important export products that are collected from certified organic collection areas. Finland has the world’s largest organic collection areas, covering an area of 6.9 million hectares last year. The largest amount of organic collection area is found in Lapland.
Organics in Finland 2022 is also available as a power point file. If you need one, please ask: info@proluomu.fi
The Organic in Finland 2022 compilation published by Pro Luomu summarizes the results of public organic statistics and the latest surveys of the organic sector. The information in the compilation includes: Statistics from the Finnish Food Authority and the Natural Resources Institute Finland, as well as studies and studies commissioned by Pro Luomu.
This summary of Organic Finland 2022 has been produced by the project “Local Food, Organic and Natural Products – Coordination in the Food Sector,” funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
