Search: 2009

Autumn-sown grains lie slumbering beneath the snow. Tike has just completed the statistics on forecast autumn-sown areas, or the quantities of wheat and rye sown this autumn.

A record-breaking crop of spring wheat was harvested this autumn. However, the quality of the harvest was weakened by its low protein content, which was at its lowest level in ten years. 82 per cent of the malting barley harvest exceeded the quality requirements for malting in terms of protein content and grain size. The exceptionally low protein content also decreased the malting-quality harvest. The quality of the feed grain crop was mainly good.A quarter of the wheat is of bread grain quality

According to Tike’s advance harvest estimates, the dry grain harvest amounted to almost 4.3 billion kg. In addition, 0.2 billion kg of cereals were harvested green. Crops of barley (2.2 billion kg) and wheat (0.9 billion kg) hit an all-time high. The oat harvest (1.1 billion kg) declined by 100 million kg and the rye harvest (42 million kg) by a third compared to 2008. More accurate harvest figures will be available in January 2010, when Tike will publish the final harvest statistics for 2009.

In mid-October, the amount of food potatoes in storage was 225 million kilos, an increase of 33.6 million kilos on last autumn. This is the second time that Tike (The Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) has gathered statistics on the amount of potatoes in the food potato storages of farms. Food potato stocks saw year-on-year growth due to the increase in the production area and the good crop yield, and because the potatoes in storage from the previous year lasted until August.

Tike (the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) has completed the cereals balance sheet for the crop year 2008 - 2009. The good grain harvest in 2008 (4.2 billion kg) covered domestic needs for wheat, barley and oats, but 86 million kg of rye had to be imported for food milling. At the end of June, the amount of stockpiled grain, 1 960 million kg, was almost 475 million kg higher than a year earlier.

The total grain harvest could rise to as much as 4.4 billion kilos if the threshing weather remains favourable. The harvest would then be about 160 million kilos more than in autumn 2008. This is the forecast issued by Tike, the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in its second and last advance harvest estimate.

According to Tike’s (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) first harvest estimate, the grain harvest will reach 4.3 billion kilos this autumn. Tike’s next advance forecast will be published at the beginning of September.

According to the Balance Sheet for Food Commodities that has just been completed by Tike (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), Finnish people ate 76.7 kg of meat per capita last year – half a kilogram more than in 2007. Poultry meat consumption increased by 0.9 kg, and for the first time, it exceeded beef consumption.

Total production of organic grain decreased compared with the previous year. According to the data collected by Tike (The Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and For-estry), production of organic grain totalled 76 million kg in 2008, representing 2% of Finnish grain production. Most of the organic grain was also used and sold as organic. Production of organic potatoes rose on the previous year.

According to the advance information of Tike (the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), the area sown to cereals decreased sharply, while the area under rape and turnip rape increased. The area sown to cereals declined by 32,000 hectares compared to 2008, whereas a year earlier it grew by 86,000 hectares. In percentage terms, however, this decrease amounted to only a few per cent. Slightly over half of the utilised agricultural area was sown to cereals, 1,219,000 hectares.

The greenhouse energy consumption data for 2008 has been completed. According to data collected by Tike (The Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), the energy consumption of greenhouses increased slightly compared with 2006, when statistics were last collected. Less imported energy is used for heating and the use of domestic energy has grown since 2006.

According to Tike’s (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) horticultural statistics, the production of greenhouse vegetables rose to a record high of 76 million kilos. The cut narcissus was the flower that shot up the fastest – production increased by a third to 2.5 million bulbs. There were a total of 936 horticultural enterprises cultivating greenhouse vegetables in 2008. The total area under cultivation – 256 hectares – remained almost the same as in 2007, but production rose to a record high of 76 million kilos.

Total meat production rose to about 400 million kilos last year. Pork production broke records once again with production reaching 217 million kilos. Poultry meat production exceeded 100 million kilos for the first time. Just over seven per cent less beef was produced than in 2007. Meat producer prices have been rising.

Decline in milk production continuesMilk production last year totalled 2,244 million litres, which is slightly under two per cent, and approximately 43 million litres, less than in 2007. Total milk production has now been on the decline for the sixth year running.

The number of moderate vigour apple trees is rising briskly. No less than 86 per cent of apple trees planted in 2003–2007 were moderate vigour trees. In 2008, Tike, the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, conducted a survey on the varieties, ages and planting densities of apple trees in commercial orchards.

Tike (the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) has published the Farm Register information for 2008. Changes in the farm structure have trended in the same direction for several years - the number of farms has declined, the average farm size has grown and livestock farms account for a smaller share of all farms. Trends in the agricultural support areas vary by production sector. Within the production sectors, the greatest relative decline was seen in farms engaged in pig husbandry.

A fifth of the wheat crop and less than a third of the rye crop met quality requirements on bread grain. The percentage of malt-grade barley was greater than in previous years. The otherwise good utility grade of malt barley and feed grain was diminished by the occurrence of moulded and sprouting grains, which were more abundant than last year. The present data are based on information gathered by Tike and Evira on grain harvest and quality for 2008.

2008 yielded a record barley harvest. However, most of the other crops fell short of 2007. Tike’s harvest statistics, which are included in the Official Statistics of Finland (OSF), were completed at the turn of the year. Advance harvest estimates were released at the end of July and the beginning of September. Advance information on the final harvest figures was published at the end of November.