Increasing production costs cause headaches for Finnish greenhouse growers

Published 2022년 6월 15일

Tridge summary

Finland has a high per capita consumption of tomatoes and cucumbers, with the majority being locally sourced from greenhouses. The Finnish Greenhouse Growers Association represents the sector, providing data, advice, and marketing efforts. While tomatoes and cucumbers are supported by EU grants, other vegetables like eggplants and zucchini are not, leading to thoughts about diversification. The country's greenhouse sector, valued at €410 million, has seen stable greenhouse acreage and a reduction in its carbon footprint. However, challenges such as increasing production costs, labor availability, and the future of peat as a growing medium threaten the industry's sustainability. Despite these challenges, the demand for locally grown produce in Finland remains strong.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Finland has the highest average tomato and cucumber consumption of all Northern European countries. Finns eat an average of 12.1kg of tomatoes and 10.2kg of cucumbers per year. Both are about double that of Norway. And remarkably, 60% of those tomatoes and no less than 93% of the cucumbers eaten in Finland come from local greenhouses. We visited the Finnish Greenhouse Growers Association, which, in 2017, celebrated its 100th anniversary. This trade organization collects and publishes data on greenhouse farming, advises its 300 members, and lobbies for the sector with policymakers. It also does marketing campaigns for greenhouse-grown vegetables, soft fruit, herbs, and ornamental plants. Plus, it publishes the trade journal 'Puutarha&kauppa' - with information on greenhouse as well as outdoor cultivation - and organizes the annual LEPAA trade fair in August, attended by some 200 exhibitors. All this makes it the perfect partner to talk to about greenhouse cultivation in the far ...

Source: Hortidaily