The objectives of this report are to document the state of knowledge on industrial crops and crop related processes, markets and uses of industrial crops and their products in Finland. It has been estimated that about 1 million hectares of arable land will be set aside from food production in Finland before the end of this century. If most of this land is abandoned, the consequences for employment in and development of rural areas will be detrimental. The overproduction of food crops has directed research efforts towards various non-food utilisation of either traditional crops and new introduced species.
Climate conditions are decisive for crop production in Finland.
Cultivation of wheat and oil-seed plants is restricted to southern Finland while barley, oats, grasses and potatoes can be cultivated in most parts of the country. The shorter growing season brings considerably lower yields than for central European countries. For the majority of field crops, the producer prices do not cover the costs of production. The EU subsidy policy and realization of Agenda 2000 will largely determine which crops are profitable for the grower and are thus chosen for cultivation in the future. The most cultivated oil crop is spring turnip rape in Finland.