Berry pickers face challenges amid low harvest expectations in Finland
Each year, Finnish forests produce over 500 million kilograms of berries, equating to about 20 buckets of berries for every Finn. However, only a small fraction—around 10%—of these berries are harvested, and this year’s collection is reportedly even lower. A shortage of domestic frozen blueberries is expected this winter due to an insufficient number of foreign pickers, according to Kalle Öberg, CEO of Vihannestukku Öberg in Salo.
Öberg highlighted that typically, a large group of Thai pickers participates in the harvest, known for their enthusiasm. However, attempts to contact their relatives in Uusikaupunki have not yielded information about when they can travel to Finland.
In contrast, younger Finnish pickers often sell their berries to friends or via social media, while Öberg now sources berries from older local gatherers. He speculated on the future of berry picking, pondering who will be involved in the industry in a decade.
In March, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that berry pickers could no longer enter Finland on tourist visas. Recently, 43 Thai nationals attempted to enter the country but were stopped by authorities at the airport.
Despite the challenges, local gatherers are optimistic about the berry yield this year. Marja-Liisa Seitz-Koho, a berry picker from the Salo region, remarked, “This year has a lot of blueberries. If someone says they can’t find any, they haven’t been into the forest.”