Expanding food exports is a key project for the current government of Finland, led by the rural-based Centre Party, with a goal of doubling food exports by 2020. That target was set before economic sanctions by the EU against Russia over the Ukraine crisis slashed Finnish food exports. Before that, Russia was a major market for Finnish food exports.
Sweden is now Finland’s biggest customer for food exports, accounting for about one fifth of them. Meanwhile the two Nordic countreis have teamed up on food exports, hoping that a partnership will help both to boost export sales further afield.