Finland could harvest record pea crop but face rye deficit

Finland’s cereal harvest in 2026 is expected to be close to average at around 3.2 mln tons. However, crop performance will vary, with wheat and oats showing stronger results while barley and rye remain below normal levels.

Wheat and oat production is forecast at nearly 10% above the 10-year average. By contrast, barley, Finland’s main cereal crop, is expected to come in more than 10% below average.

The rye harvest is forecast at only around 62 thsd tons, about one quarter below average. This would be insufficient to cover annual domestic consumption, meaning the shortfall would need to be covered by carryover stocks or imports.

At the same time, pea production could exceed 140 thsd tons and become the largest in more than 100 years of statistics. The area under food and feed peas has quadrupled over the past decade, while this year’s crop could be more than five times larger than 10 years ago.

Rapeseed and turnip rape production is also expected to recover, with the combined harvest potentially exceeding 90 thsd tons and returning to the average level of the past five decades. Total cereal area fell by around 70 thsd ha this year to slightly below 1 mln ha.

Tags: rye, Finland, pea