Would Finland Deplete its Food Supply if Foreign Trade Ceased?

The global trade is suffering in the aftermath of the corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine. This raises concerns about the impact on Finland’s food supply if foreign trade was to cease.

According to Csaba Jansik, a specialist researcher at the Finnish Natural Resources Agency, supplies of rice, salmon and protein feed would be depleted quickly. However, we could sustain ourselves with many locally produced goods, provided we establish efficient production chains.

What food products can we produce domestically?

Finland can produce more than enough of key products like grain, milk and eggs. We can also produce 60% of our tomatoes, 93% of our cucumbers, and about two-thirds of our strawberries and potatoes. We are completely self-sufficient in fresh potatoes, and we have enough meat with the current production volumes.

Would we be okay without foreign imports?

Unfortunately, we would face shortages of several products. For instance, we only produce a quarter of our required protein feeds, such as canola and legumes. There would also be a significant shortage of fish, as we only produce a third of our needs despite being a country with thousands of lakes.

Would a vegan diet help in case of a feed shortage?

Switching to a vegetarian diet could theoretically help, but it would require substantial investments in processing and a significant shift in food culture. Also, we would still face a protein shortage, as we import soy.

Can we rely on lake fish?

Lake fish is an underutilized resource, but the lack of a production chain and the limited number of professional fishermen are obstacles. Environmental restrictions also limit fish farming.

Do the main problems lie in production chains?

Yes, that’s correct. While we are self-sufficient in grain, we depend on imports for fertilizers, plant protection agents, and some seeds. Also, if the supply of fuel was to stop, we would face transportation issues. Furthermore, a large part of our farming machinery and equipment is foreign, and we rely on foreign labor for farming tasks like berry picking.

How long could we survive under an embargo?

While a total embargo is highly unlikely, we might not starve if it were to happen. Although crops would decline due to a lack of fertilizers and meat production could drop significantly, we could find emergency ways to survive. Besides, we have managed to adapt to challenging scenarios like the war in Ukraine, which has affected energy imports and seasonal labor.

Looking at the bigger picture, Finland’s situation is strong internationally. According to The Economist’s Global Food Security Index, Finland was ranked first among 113 countries in terms of food production self-sufficiency.