Organic producers are on the rise
Data updated to 31 December 2013, provided to the Ministry by control bodies operating in the area and by Sinab (National information system on organic farming), reveal an overall increase in the number of operators working in the organic sector by 5.4% .
Consequently there was also an increase of + 12.8% in the area of land cultivated according to the organic method, and the livestock sector also follows the same trend.
The distribution of the almost 50 thousand organic operators sees the region of Sicily as the leading one, followed by Calabria: in both of them there is the largest number of organic farms compared to the rest of Italy.
At the top of the rankings, on the other hand, Tuscany regards the companies involved in processing, followed by Emilia Romagna and Puglia.
From the producer to the consumer: the data that perhaps still amazes is that, to the detriment of the many organic farms in the South, the most faithful consumers of organic products are in the north with about 70% of the total of those purchased.
At the center we get to 22%, while almost only 7% of purchases are made in the south, lagging behind compared to the rest of Italy, which however seems to be catching up in recent times.
How do I organize organic shopping?
There is a crisis, but not in the biological
Despite the difficult situation and economic and financial crisis that the country is going through, the Italian organic market is going against the trend, registering growth and positive dynamics that has been underway since 2005.
The data collected shows that purchases by Italian families of packaged organic products increased by 17.3% in the first five months of 2014. This trend appears to have been favored by new market launches, such as products that were not present before, for example kamut, spelled or buckwheat-based flours; moreover, we have seen that certain green-brand products have also been introduced in discount stores, so as to favor even the less well-off or those who think of organic products as an elite product.
The considerable increase seems to involve products such as pasta, rice or bread substitutes, as well as coffee, tea and sugar. Graph uphill also for vegetables, fruit and snak, biscuits and sweets. Sales of honey and baby food are also very good.
The increases in organic sales of eggs, milk, cheese and beverages seem less consistent.
However, eggs are still the largest organic product purchased by Italian families, followed by bread substitutes and third in the ranking of milk.
Italians choose bio
A recent AIAB survey shows that as many as 76.4% of Italians often eat bio . He chooses it for individual well-being (who is single) or for the family, especially for children, to avoid chemicals, but also respecting the environment and sustainable agriculture, therefore for an ethical choice.
Those who decide to bring organic products to the table, also have a clear understanding of the concept of GMOs and are firmly opposed to it: the statistics show that as many as 95% of those interviewed would ban them . In this regard it is important to stress that GMOs are prohibited in organic farms, in all countries.
For word of mouth, for the sake of eating healthy, to take a walk at the Sunday morning organic market or for a ride in the farm, the Italian chooses more and more bio. As seen, even organic products on supermarket shelves are on the rise, both in mini markets, supermarkets or discount stores: from various types of flour to organic soups, organic tortillas, breadsticks, chickpeas, dried fruit and new mixes for breakfast or to enrich salads.
And there are also the proposals for online purchases, among the various boxes prepared seasonally directly by the producer and the solidarity buying groups, the well-known Organic Land Gases .
