Sweden will set up its first emergency grain stocks in the north of the country, a region that risks being isolated in a conflict, the government said Tuesday.
In its 2026 budget, Stockholm plans to invest 575 million kronor — $60 million — to set up the grain reserves.
The state plans to ensure there is a regular turnover so the stocks do not perish, the Swedish Board of Agriculture said.
A tender will be launched on Wednesday in the northern counties of Norrbotten, Vasterbotten, Vasternorrland and Jamtland. These counties are currently entirely dependent on grain transported from southern Sweden — the oblong country runs some 1,000 miles from north to south — which could be problematic in the event of a crisis or war.
“Northern Sweden is strategically important for the military and is a particular priority for (the country’s) total defense,” Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said in a statement.
“It is no coincidence that it is here the first steps are being taken towards establishing emergency grain stocks, which essentially is about ensuring that the population can put food on the table even in times of crisis.”
The idea is to mobilize all of society, from authorities to citizens and businesses, to collectively resist armed aggression while maintaining essential functions.
The Board of Agriculture said that 90-95% of the population could survive on grains for three months without suffering any nutrient deficiencies. Dietary needs change in times of war, it noted, saying that the average number of calories required per person rises to 3,000 a day.
Sweden revived its “total defense” strategy in 2015 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and more measures were introduced after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last year, the country dropped two centuries of military non-alliance to join NATO.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in January that Sweden was “not at war, but there is not peace either.” He said the entire Baltic Sea region, which includes Sweden and Russia, was subjected to “hybrid attacks,” referring to disinformation and a series of incidents involving damaged underwater cables.
Authorities suspect Russian aggression aimed at undersea infrastructure, prompting NATO to launch “Baltic Sentry,” deploying ships and planes to monitor a Russian shadow fleet and safeguard critical seabed infrastructure, “60 Minutes” reported in September.
On Wednesday, Sweden’s armed forces said they were following a Russian submarine that entered the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, amid mounting tensions in the region.
The Swedish navy, which released two images of the incident, said it was “a routine operation taking place in close collaboration with our allies,” adding that it had a “good overview of our immediate vicinity.”
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