Germany.info : Information Services: Publications: The Week in Germany

Germany.info Home: Information Services: Publications: The Week in Germany

The Week in Germany: Business and Technology

January 26, 2007

Farmers Can't Keep Up with Growing Organic Demand

As agriculture industry representatives concentrate on organic products at the annual "Green Week" trade fair in Berlin, Germany's organic farmers are finding it impossible to keep up with growing consumer demand.

Oranges from Spain, avocados from Israel and honey from Chile are all commonly found on German supermarket shelves, and while shopping carts have long been melting pots of conventionally farmed goods, internationality is spreading into the organic department as well.

Germans spent about 4.5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) on organic products in 2006, and the German market for organic products grew by 15 percent in 2005, according to reports from the Central Agricultural Market and Pricing Center.

"Organic markets are global markets," said Gerald Wehde, a spokesman for Bioland, Germany's largest organic farming association. "No store can get away with not offering organic products."

Indeed, conventional German shops and supermarkets are adding organic products to their shelves and exclusively organic shops are popping up in small and medium-sized cities so quickly that German farmers can no longer keep up with demand.

"It would also be possible to sell many more German organic products if we were able to produce them," said Alexander Gerber, general manager of the Association of Organic Food Producers and Traders.

Taken by surprise by the organic market's sudden growth, Germany is dependent on imports because fewer local farmers have been choosing to switch from conventional to organic farming methods, Gerber added. (Source: German Foreign Ministry, using www.dw-world.de material)

Visitors Flock to Green Week

Halfway through the International Green Week in Berlin some 200,000 visitors had already attended the gargantuan event - 6 percent more than last year, the Messe Berlin trade fair grounds announced on Tuesday.

Sales are up and deals have been struck, according to vendors. Last year, orders were placed for goods worth 40 million euros ($52 million). At this year's event, some 1,600 vendors from 56 countries are exhibiting 100,000 specialties, many with a regional flavor. (dpa)

Links:

Green Week 2007

The German Agricultural Marketing Board (CMA)

CMA Bio-Marketing (in German)

Bioland (in German, some information in English)

International Green Week - Focus on Europe, Energy
(from Germany.info)

Back to The Week in Germany

Introducing
The German Information Center