Finnish Grain Quality in 2022

March 15/2023

Viljaseula 2022 collates important information on the quality and safety of the Finnish grain harvest. The information is based on the quality monitoring of the grain harvest carried out by the Plant Analysis laboratory of the Finnish Food Authority.

The Viljaseula 2022 publication contains key data on the quality and safety monitoring of the Finnish cereal harvest carried out by the Plant Analysis laboratory at the Finnish Food Authority. Information on the quality of cereals from the 2022 harvest is shown by region based on the regional division of ELY centres and by grain variety. Regional and varietal information may have been provided where there were enough samples. Quality information has also been provided for organic grain where there were at least 20 samples. The information is provided in the form of brief texts for each grain variety and supplemented with tables, graphs and maps. The publication also has growers’ yield forecasts for all grain varieties.

Quality and safety monitoring of the cereal harvest has been carried out since 1966. Monitoring is sample research. The information is based on farms selected for the samples and so the results represent farms of different sizes, different production trends and production methods – in practice cultivation across the country. The material consists of grain samples sent in by growers, background factors on the samples and the results of the analyses conducted by the Finnish Food Authority. The samples are representative of both the grain sold on the market and grain remaining in the farms. Monitoring provides a reliable picture of the quality of the Finnish cereal harvest. An advantage of long-term monitoring is good comparability from one year to the next.

Domestic grain production is a necessary part of our security of supply. Finland is the world’s northernmost agricultural country, which brings its own climate challenges. No two growing seasons are the same in Finland and the climate is also changing. This makes it important to provide reliable and up-to-date information for the whole food chain on the quality, quantity and safety of the cereal harvest. To support an increase in the use and cultivation of oilseed and protein crops, information is needed on the harvest of broad beans (Vicia faba) and oleaginous plants. Since 2018, samples of broad beans, rape and turnip rape, and since 2022 field pea have also been included in quality monitoring.

Viljaseula 2022 (PDF) 15.3.2023