The Finnish berry farming industry employs approximately 14,000 people annually, most of them foreigners.Image: Berislav Jurišić / YleYle News12:25Finnish berry farms are grappling with rising costs, which have also made it difficult to attract workers from abroad.The berry farming sector employs approximately 14,000 people annually, almost 90 percent of whom are foreigners.The price of a seasonal work permit has almost doubled this year, which has hindered the recruitment of foreign workers, according to the Finnish Association of Fruit and Berry Growers (HML).According to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), an electronic seasonal certificate that allows a picker to work for up to 90 days now costs 200 euros, up from 100 euros.Those planning to work for 3-9 months need a seasonal work residence permit. Filing an electronic application for one now costs 530 euros, up from 380 euros last year. Filing a paper application will set a worker back 630 euros. Extending a permit costs 230-430 euros.Workers must also prove that they have sufficient financial resources for the entire time their extended permit is valid. If there are any gaps between jobs, they must leave Finland.For some pickers, coming to Finland is too expensiveBerry firm Maalahden Marjat, based in the west-coast town of Närpes, says it needs about 100 pickers for the coming season due to its large cultivation area of 40 hectares, but that it has become tougher to attract workers."The prices of airline tickets, fuel and seasonal work permits have risen. Some prefer to stay in Central Europe in the hope of lower costs and no longer come to Finland. Perhaps we can still get enough pickers," says the company’s owner, Anders Lång.Arja Raatikainen of Annin Marjatarha in Kauhava, South Ostrobothnia, says that the increase in the price of work permits came as a complete surprise in January."The permits are unreasonably expensive in relation to the length of the employment relationship," she says.Season off to a good startStrawberry plants survived the cold and nearly snowless winter surprisingly well, according to HML.Most farms appear to have got through the winter with minimal damage, even though the first frosts came before the seedlings had a blanket of snow to protect them, says the association's executive director, Heidi Wirtanen.The growing season is on a normal schedule across the country. The early arrival of spring at the beginning of March did not really speed up the season, as there have been cool periods since then.Normally, the outdoor picking season starts in late June in southern Finland, just before the Midsummer holiday. The west coast and other areas follow a couple of weeks later.Hothouse strawberries may be ripe for graduation partiesAri-Pekka Kukkasmäki, who owns Kukkasmäki Berry Farm in Kauhajoki, predicts that his open-field strawberries will ripen in early July – barring any late frosts.Meanwhile the Hauhtonen farm in Kokkola has been growing strawberries in greenhouses since mid-March and hopes to have them on sale in time for next weekend’s graduation parties, according to entrepreneur Veli-Matti Jukkola."We’ve accepted advance reservations, but we're a bit worried about whether the berries will be ripe in time. A huge number of them won't be ready," he tells Yle.