Finland Agriculture

Hayfield
hayfield
The climate of Finland is such that it has made Finland Agriculture a tough undertaking. The reasons for this situation is that Finland has tough winter season, comparatively inadequate and acidic arable land, the growing seasons are also interrupted by the problem of frost. In the early days the farmers in Finland used to cultivate only grains to feed its inhabitants. Cheap grains from Russia and America were imported in the 1880s and 1890s.

At present the scenario of Finland Agriculture has changed. The production has increased and it has lead to the decreasing in the number of farms, since due to the advancement of agricultural technologies fewer people are required in the farms. The average farm size in Finland in the year 1999 was about 25 hectares only.

Forestry in Finland is now the most noteworthy provider to the agricultural production. Finland’s Timber reserves have also increased by more than 25 percent since 1970s due to the enhancement in harvest techniques. The forest production in Finland goes to the industrial sector for making paper products, wooden furniture etc. Finland exports 25 percent of the world production in the area of paper.

In the south western part of Finland farming is given significance and in the other parts the cultivation is limited to the forest boundaries. The number of farms in the year 2002 in Finland was 74, 328. The principal crops that are grown in Finland are oats, potatoes, sugar beets, and wheat. In Finland the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was accountable for the policies which dealt with the agricultural issues.





Potato field