The World Market
Organic farming is practised
in approximately 120 countries of the world, over more than 31 million hectares
of land and the area under organic management is
continually growing. Also for some countries, where no statisti cal mate rial was
available, it may be assumed that organic agriculture methods are practised.
In many Latin
American countries the area of organic land is now more than 100,000
hectares, and – starting from
a low level – growth rates are extraordinary. The total organically managed area is more than
6.4
million hectares. The number of organic
farms is almost 200,000.
In Europe
more than 6.5 million hect ares are under organic management, which corresponds to al most
3 percent of the
total agricultural land. In some countries percentages have reached double digit figures. More than 170,000 farms are run organically. The main driving fac tor for
the development are a growing market as well as policy support for organic farming.
In North America
almost 1.5 million hectares are managed organically, representing
approximately a 0.3 percent
share of the total agricultural area. Currently the number
of farms is almost 12,000.
There are signs that with the U.S. na tional or ganic standards,
which were fully im plemented
at the end of 2002, progress has been made for the organic
sector and for consumers.
The total organic
area in Asia is now about 4.1 million hectares. The number of organic farms is more than
130,000. Interest in organic agriculture
continues to grow even though unevenly throughout the region. There is a wide spectrum of sector development stages, from early pioneer status
to highly developed markets.
In Africa
with few exceptions (e. g. Egypt and South Africa) certified organic production
is mostly geared to products
destined for export beyond Africa’s shores. The statistics
indicate that with few exceptions certified organic farming is relatively under developed,
even in comparison with other
low-income continents. More than 1 million hectares and 119,000 farms are now
man aged organically, representing about 0.2 percent of the agricultural
land.
In Ocenia more than 12.1
million hectares and 2'662 farms are under organic management. Most of this area
is pastoral land for low instensity grazing in Australia
where has the biggest certified
organic lands worldwide.
The data shown in the table below include fully
converted land as well as „in conversion“
land area.
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Distribution Graphs Click on images to enlarge
Where Turkey Stands ?
Organic production in
agriculture was started in Turkey in the mid 1980’s, and
since then gained
popularity. Over the last decade it has grown dramatically in size
and scope due to the
progressive interest in Europe. The largest demand is for dried
products and nuts
followed by field crops, fresh and processed fruit, vegetables,
berries, medicinal and
aromatic plants, industrial crops, and other row/processed
products.
The main organic fruits
are raisins (sultanas), figs, apricots and hazelnuts,
potentially joined by
frozen fruit and vegetables, and fruit juice concentrates, which
constantly improve their
quality. Most Turkish organic products are produced for
export, mainly to the
European countries. Germany is the major market followed by
Switzerland,
Netherlands, United Kingdom, USA, France and Italy. The domestic
market has just been
developed and now some organic products are available in
super and hypermarkets
in Turkey.
Inspection and organic
certification procedures are carried out by same
independent
organizations in Turkey registered the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Affairs (MARA). There
are six international control and certification companies in Turkey.
Although, organic
production, product diversity and area of cultivation, are steadily
expanding in this
country, there are some challenges for organic agriculture.
Nevertheless, there is a
good prospect for further development of such production,
considering its present
rising trend, diversity of growing conditions and a close
distance to the European
countries.
The export quantities of
the organic products were only 8.617 tones in 1998. These quantities continue to
grow within the years and reached 21.083 tones in 2003. The value of exportation
in 1998 was 19.370.599 US$ and increased to 36.932.995 US$ in 2003. The dried
fruits are the driving products of the Turkish organic exportation since the
beginning. Raisins, dried figs and dried apricots are the first three in the
list. Then comes the hazelnuts, lentil, chickpeas and frozen fruits and vegetables.
Although traditional agricultural products play main role in Turkeys exportation
the organic product range has developed over the years and increased from nearly
30 groups of commodities to 49 groups within the 2003.
National
Legislation
