Russia's food import ban and EU sanctions against certain industrial goods to Russia appear to have cut deep into Finnish exports to its eastern neighbour.
In August Finnish food exports across the eastern border plunged by 58 percent compared to the same period in 2013. Compared to one month earlier in July, the decline was a massive 63 percent.
Meanwhile up to the end of August all food exports had declined by 17 percent compared to the previous year.
Food exports to Russia accounted for nine percent of all exports in July and four percent in August.
Exports of machinery, equipment and transportation stock fell by more than 30 percent between July and August this year, making the biggest dent in export trade from Finland to Russia this year.
Overall trade deficit up on 2013
Meanwhile the total value of exports dropped by six percent or 4.2 billion euros against last year's numbers, influenced more by falling prices than by declining export volumes, customs officials said.
For the period from January to August both exports and imports however showed only a small decline of one percent compared to the same period in 2013.
In August the trade deficit or the difference between imports and exports was recorded at 183 million euros. The deficit for the entire year up to August reached 1.6 billion euros, compared to 1.4 billion at the end of August 2013.
