Cloudberry Prices Reach Record Highs in Lapland as Harvest Peaks
Cloudberry prices in Southern Lapland have surged to unprecedented levels this week, with pickers receiving up to €20 per kilogram in some areas. The sharp increase has been welcomed by berry collectors, who typically earn around €10 per kilogram in good harvest years.
In Ranua, the picker price reached €20 on Wednesday, according to Raisa Wegelius, coordinator of the Hillaviikko (Cloudberry Week) project. By Thursday, however, the price at one local buying point had dropped to €15. Juha Kukkonen, a cloudberry trader in Ranua, attributed the high prices to strong demand and competition during the Hillaviikko event. Yle reports that Kukkonen described the current rates as "historically good compared to previous years," noting that even last year’s €15–17 per kilogram was considered high.
In Kuusamo, cloudberries have been purchased for €15 per kilogram this week, with Dalle Valle Oy operating a buying point since Sunday. The Marjapörssi Lappi (Lapland Berry Exchange) Facebook group has also seen prices stabilize around €20 per kilogram (Yle).
Majority of Pickers Are Finnish
Most cloudberry pickers in the region are Finnish, with only a small number of foreign workers—primarily Ukrainians—participating in the harvest, according to Kukkonen (Yle). While some pickers sell directly to customers at Ranua’s market square for €24–26 per kilogram, the bulk of the berries are purchased by companies in Southern Finland.
The Natural Resources Institute Finland has noted that while the number of cloudberry flowers this year was normal, pollination conditions in Northern Finland and Lapland have been poor. Early in the season, more berries were found in forested bogs than in open fens. Despite these challenges, Kukkonen reported that the berries brought to market have been of good quality, with the main harvest expected to continue until early next week (Yle).
The high prices have made cloudberry picking a lucrative activity, with one Ukrainian picker, Mihailo Pichnyi, telling Yle earlier this summer that he could earn as much in a day as he receives in a month’s pension.