Page 22 - Green knowledge 2025

Photo: Ragnar Våga Pedersen
Potential to double fruit and veg
Norwegian producers sell fruit, berries and potatoes worth around NOK 7.3 billion
annually, accounting for 17 percent of value creation in Norwegian agriculture. The
horticultural sector is more market-driven than the rest of farming and receives only
2.7 percent of the agricultural agreement funds.
According to the new dietary guidelines from the
Norwegian Directorate of Health, we should ideally
eat eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
“And what we eat should be as Norwegian as possi-
ble,” says Inger Martinussen, Head of Research at
NIBIO.
She believes Norway can double its fruit and vegeta-
ble production.
“Only 23 percent of the apples we consume are Nor-
wegian. For cucumbers the share is 78 percent. Pota-
toes are largest in both volume and share, at 87 per-
cent,” Martinussen says.
The world’s best tomato growers
NIBIO researchers have examined available land and
where different vegetables can grow. For example,
45 percent of Norway’s fully cultivated land is
­ suitable for carrots. And Norwegian tomato growers
produce more tomatoes per unit area than anyone
else in the world.
Work is underway to make production more sustain-
able. Studies show a 45 percent reduction in emis-
sions per kilo of tomatoes. Growers can use waste
heat, nutrient-rich waste and CO₂ from other
­ industries.
Knowledge, technology and the market
NIBIO’s Director General, Ivar Horneland
­ Kristensen, says the institute’s goal is to develop the
knowledge and technology needed to enable a dou-
bling of fruit and vegetable production.
“This can involve anything from variety testing and
production development to greenhouse technology.
Our task is to bring new knowledge and methods to
the forefront. The reason we are the best at produc-
ing tomatoes isn’t natural conditions—it’s the use of
knowledge and technology,” he says, adding that a
strong value chain is essential.
Purpose: Contact: Increase both the consumption and production of Norwegian fruit and vegetables.
Head of Department/Head of Research Inger Martinussen, Division of Food Production and Society.
Email: inger.martinussen@nibio.no | Phone: +47 976 78 488.
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