The grain crop in 2010, 3 billion kilograms, was about a third smaller than in 2009. The harvests of wheat and oats exceeded domestic consumption, while in barley production the situation is the opposite. All grain stocks were reduced; mainly barley, as a result of diminishing production and growing exports.

The information above is contained in the preliminary cereals balance sheet for the crop year 2010–2011, which is compiled by the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tike). The cereals balance sheet contains the production and usage volumes from one autumn harvest to the following autumn harvest.

Exceptionally, in the crop year 2010–2011, both production and consumption figures were the same, approximately 3 billion kilograms. Almost 65 percent of the grains consumed in Finland were used as animal feed. The Finnish food industry consumed 0.44 billion kilograms in total, which amounts to approximately 15 percent of the total consumption during the year. Circa 11 percent of the grain crop was used for ethanol and malt production. The rest was used primarily as seed grain.

Barley stocks put to use

Barley is the main crop in Finland, and normally the production is enough for domestic consumption. The 2010 barley crop amounted to 1.34 billion kilogram, which is 38 percent less than the year before. The harvested volume was not sufficient for domestic consumption, but the shortage was compensated by using stocks from the previous year. Most of the barley was used as animal feed, and the remainder was used for ethanol and malt production. Only circa 9 billion kilograms were used in foods.

Oats was the second largest grain crop (810 million kilograms) and also the second most common feed grain in Finland. Almost 80 percent of the harvested oats was used as animal feed. Of the total oats usage approximately 9 percent, 66 million kilograms, was used in foods. Internationally, Finland is a major oats producer and exported 260 million kilograms.

Increased production of winter wheat and rye

In 2010, the rye harvest fell short of the domestic consumption, as the production volume was 68 million kilograms and the usage approximately 107 million kilograms. In Finland, rye is mainly used as a bread grain, with approximately 98 million kilograms used in foods.

The 2010 wheat production amounted to approximately 724 million kilograms. With 267 million kilograms, wheat is the grain crop most commonly used in foods. The share of wheat used as animal feed decreased slightly from the year before to 302 million kilograms.

Shrinking grain stocks

At the beginning of the crop year 2010–2011, the grain stocks were well filled, especially of barley. The export of barley increased significantly and amounts now to 538 million kilograms. Following from increased exports and decreased crops, the stock volume of barley shrank from approximately 1.5 billion to 0.8 billion kilograms. Oat stocks decreased to 333 million kilograms.

The decrease in wheat and rye stock volumes was more moderate: from 703 million kilograms to approximately 606 million kilograms for wheat and from 141 million kilograms to 129 million kilograms for rye.

Background information

The preliminary cereals balance sheet (crop year 1 July 2010–30 June 2011) is based on Tike’s harvest statistics, the statistics on cereals purchased, used and stockpiled by industry and trade, and the Finnish Customs’ Foreign Trade Statistics. As the statistics of the crop usage on farms were not yet available, this information is based on expert evaluations and previous balance sheets. The Customs finalise the 2011 preliminary data in 2012, which means that there may be changes in the 2011 foreign trade information in the cereals balance sheet.

The statistical tables related to this press release are available at the Matilda Agricultural Statistics Service under Cereals balance sheet.

More information:
Researcher Lauri Juntti, tel. +358 20 77 21 251
Email: firstname.lastname@mmmtike.fi