The global organic market is still growing

The global market for organic food has reached 72 billion US$, and 43 million hectares of agricultural land are certified as organic according to data presented by IFOAM at the BIOFACH fair in Nuremberg.

By Ulla Skovsbøl

The consumer demand on organic produce is significantly increasing, more farmers cultivate organically, more land is certified, and 170 countries report organic farming activities according to the 2015 edition of the FiBL-IFOAM study “The World of Organic Agriculture.”  The new data was presented at BIOFACH in Nuremberg  Wednesday the 11th of February 2015.

The market research company Organic Monitor has collected the data for FiBL and IFOAM, and according to the company´s estimates the global market for organic products reached 72 billion US dollars in 2013 (55 billion euros). The US market is the largest market for organic food globally with 24.3 billion euros, and in 2013 the American market even grew by 11.5 pct. The US is followed by Germany with 7.6 billion euros and France with 4.4 billion euros.

Furthermore, in 2013 China published market data on the organic sales for the first time ever. The Chines sales reached 2.4 billion euros, making the country the fourth biggest organic market in the world. The highest per capita spending was in Switzerland with 210 euros pr. capita and Denmark with 163 euros.
“We are very pleased to see the recent excellent growth worldwide,” says Markus Arbenz, executive director of IFOAM - Organics International.

“The positive environmental, social and economic impacts of the sector in the global South and North confirm the sector’s importance as a lighthouse.”

43.1 million hectares of organic land

Along with the solid market growth, the total certified organic area is also increasing. A total of 43.1 million hectares were organic by the end of 2013, representing a growth of almost 6 million hectares compared to the previous survey.

In Oceania, organic land increased by a 42 pct. mainly due to rangeland areas shifting to organic production in Australia. Australia is the country with the largest organic agricultural area: 17.2 million hectares, with 97 pct. of that area used as grazing, followed by Argentina with 3.2 million hectares and the US as number three with 2.2 million hectares. 40 pct. of the global organic agricultural land is in Oceania (17.3 million hectares), followed by Europe (27 pct. 11.5 million hectares), and Latin America (15 pct. 6.6 million hectares).

 See the tables and figures from FiBl and IFOAM