Economy, Agriculture

Farming in Finland is limited chiefly to the fertile coastal regions, and only 7 percent of the total land area of Finland is under cultivation. The large majority of the farms are less than 20 hectares (49 acres) in size. Not more than 20 percent of the farmers employ paid labor regularly. In 2001 principal crops were cereals such as barley, oats, and wheat (yielding 3.9 million metric tons); and root crops such as potatoes and sugar beets (816,000 metric tons). Livestock included 6 million poultry, 1.1 million cattle, 1.3 million pigs, and 106,600 sheep. Finland has an estimated 414,000 domesticated reindeer.