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important vegetables are peas, onions, and beans. The following tabulation shows the average annual production of principal crops, in thousands of metric tons:

Mechanization, fertilizers, plant protection materials, and improved seeds have contributed to increased production of some crops. The migration of labor from agricultural to industrial areas since World War II and the practice of sharing machinery among small farmers have contributed to the spread of mechanization. On 1 January 1967, 174,067 tractors were in use, about triple the number in the period 1949-52. Similarly, the number of combines in use almost trebled between 1957 and 1967. The use of fertilizers and plant protection materials has also increased. Both animal wastes and chemical fertilizers, the latter manufactured from imported raw materials, are used. Most of the pesticides used in Sweden are imported. Swedish plant breeding has long enjoyed a high reputation, and research has resulted in the introduction of higher yielding, earlier maturing, and more disease-resistant strains of plants.

Swedish farmers are highly organized and have a long tradition of cooperation. There is one countrywide organization, the Federation of Swedish Farmers, which assists farmers in a broad range of activities, including the distribution of commodities and negotiations with the government. Practically every Swedish farmer is a member of one or more of the cooperatives operating under the direction of the Federation; these cooperatives account for the marketing of almost all milk, over three-fourths of the meat, and over two-thirds of the eggs and breadgrains.

Agricultural products are relatively unimportant to Sweden's foreign trade. In 1971 they accounted for only 2.8% of total exports and 9.8% of total imports. Wheat, flour, meat, and meat products comprised almost half of the value of agricultural exports; fruits, vegetables, and coffee accounted for more than half of food imports.

On the whole, domestic production and imports of agricultural products provide the Swedish population with a sufficient and varied diet. Preliminary statistics for 1967-68 place food supplies, in terms of energy value, at 2,880 calories per person per day. Consumption of dairy products and fish is very high, per capita fish consumption was, after that of Portugal, the second-highest in Europe. The daily intake of vegetables has risen significantly since 1918, while consumption of cereals and potatoes has declined. Compared with other Western European countries, however, Sweden lags in per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables.

b. Forestry

Covering more than half of the total land area, Sweden's forests — the most extensive in Western Europe — are a major economic resource. A well-developed forest products industry, based on the orderly exploitation of the forests, has made Sweden one of the world's leading producers and Europe's most important exporter of pulpwood, kraft papers, and building board. Among the European countries, only Finland exports more newsprint and printing paper than Sweden.

Coniferous trees comprise about 85% of the volume of standing timber. The two most important species are Norway spruce and Scotch pine. Birch is the commonest broadleaf associate of the conifers in the north and occurs with aspen, willow, and alder up to Sweden's northern boundary. In the southern part of the spruce-pine forest, however, oak, ash, and beech are significant.

The forests are largely privately owned. During the period of rapid economic development in the 19th century, industrial companies acquired most of the well-located, unappropriated crown lands of northern Sweden. The less profitable forests of the far north, however, remain under state ownership. Corporately owned forest land (25% of the total forest land) has been concentrated in the hands of a few firms as a result of the consolidation and purchase of smaller enterprises. About 35% of Sweden's forested area is owned by individual farmers. Less than one-fourth of the forest area is publicly owned. The central government is the principal public owner; the remainder is held by local and provincial governments and by the Church of Sweden.

Because of enlightened management and conservation practices, the average value of growing timber per acre of forest land is higher in Sweden than in most other countries with similar forestation. Sweden's first forest conservation law (1903) required that cutting on

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090018-7