Natural products play an important role in the economy and society/Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:

In good years, Finnish households pick about 50 million kilos of wild berries, while around 20 million kilos are picked on a commercial basis. The amount of wild mushrooms picked annually by households is 5–10 million kilos, with around 1.5 million kilos picked for sale. The commercial collection of wild herbs for food, wellness and cosmetics industry products and in the nutrition sector is currently on the rise.

There are more than 200 companies in the sector that carry out collection, cultivation or semi-cultivation of natural products. Cultivation of wild plants increases crop security and puts less pressure on the collection of wild plants. It is particularly important for species with sparse distributions and a high susceptibility to harvesting pressure.

The unadjusted turnover of the natural product sector in 2017 was approximately EUR 530 million. Collecting natural products under the right of access to private land provides an opportunity for anyone to earn money, including foreign pickers and collectors. Several hundred small first-purchase and processing companies operate in the industry.

Business in the natural product sector can be increased not only in primary production but also in the food, biotechnology, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and herbal medicine industries. Another significant source of business comes from combining natural products with wellbeing services and tourism. Innovative forest-based products and services are being developed through cross-sectoral collaboration and networking among different fields of business.

Companies