While the general consumption of food products in Italy is stagnating, an indicator of the Italian negative economic situation, the consumer attention for quality products does not seem to feel the effects of the crisis. On the contrary, the consumption of organic products in the first six months of 2012, following ISMEA data, has increased of 6% in comparison to the same period of 2011 (a period already positive). 2011 closed down with an increase of 9%.
But the situation of the organic production sector is slightly different. The last SINAB elaborations show that Italy was left at the post: its organic productions have remained substantially at the same level of the year 2000: the organic farming surface and in-conversion in 2012 was of 1,096,889 ha, with a decrease on 2011 of – 1.5%. The number of operators did not actually change since 2005, though maintaining always the primacy in Europe (48,269, + 1.3% on 2010). The positive trends are generally always due to operators that are processors, distributors and sellers, people not always in direct connection with the farming activity. Other European countries present a completely different situation: where consumers increase, farmers and productions increase as well in a parallel way.
Another worrying date for the Italian organic farming sector is related to imports from Third countries: in 2011 they have recorded an increase of + 61% on 2010, with exponential growths for corn, soy, sunflower and rape, mainly arriving from Eastern Europe.
Such a picture shows that organic farming in Italy still has some unexpressed potentialities, and that the present market opportunities should stimulate farmers to profit of their presence.The real new challenge of the organic today is to verify if the new development model that the sector wants to represent can give concrete answers in terms of growth to the farmers, for a better future for them, the consumers and the environment, with a more incisive presence in national and European agricultural policies.
But the situation of the organic production sector is slightly different. The last SINAB elaborations show that Italy was left at the post: its organic productions have remained substantially at the same level of the year 2000: the organic farming surface and in-conversion in 2012 was of 1,096,889 ha, with a decrease on 2011 of – 1.5%. The number of operators did not actually change since 2005, though maintaining always the primacy in Europe (48,269, + 1.3% on 2010). The positive trends are generally always due to operators that are processors, distributors and sellers, people not always in direct connection with the farming activity. Other European countries present a completely different situation: where consumers increase, farmers and productions increase as well in a parallel way.
Another worrying date for the Italian organic farming sector is related to imports from Third countries: in 2011 they have recorded an increase of + 61% on 2010, with exponential growths for corn, soy, sunflower and rape, mainly arriving from Eastern Europe.
Such a picture shows that organic farming in Italy still has some unexpressed potentialities, and that the present market opportunities should stimulate farmers to profit of their presence.The real new challenge of the organic today is to verify if the new development model that the sector wants to represent can give concrete answers in terms of growth to the farmers, for a better future for them, the consumers and the environment, with a more incisive presence in national and European agricultural policies.
PianetaPSR No. 13 – September 2012, http://www.pianetapsr.it
