INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY GET-TOGETHER CELEBRATES ORGANIC ENJOYMENT
46,484 trade visitors (2007: 45,469) streamed into the Nuremberg exhibition centre from 21-24 February to source information about the world market for organic products and natural personal care. The international share of attendance rose by 4 points to 37 %. The visitors came from 116 countries: after Germany, mainly from Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy and France. Stricter admission requirements and their intensive control ensured another increase in the quality of attendance. The visitors were impressed by the rich, enjoyable and innovative range of products from the 2,764 exhibitors (2007: 2,547*), two thirds of whom came from abroad. Besides an impressively strong presence of German organic producers (939), Italy (397), Spain (211), France (175) and Austria (112) were very well represented. [+] 

WINNERS OF THE BIOFACH OLIVE OIL AWARD 
BioFach presented an award for the best olive oil for the first time this year and the following top ten entries received the award: Antica Masseria Venditti (Italy), RISCA GRANDE Lda. (Portugal), Giacomo La Russa (Italy), Battaglini Azienda Agr. E Franzoio (Italy), RISCA GRANDE Lda. (Portugal), Azienda Agricola Fattoria Serra di Mezzo (Italy), Societa Iniziative Agricole (Italy), Priego de Cordoba - Sucesores de Morales Morales (Spain), Agrion Terra (Greece), Almazaras de la Subbetica (Spain).

BIOFACH CHINA ENTERS SECOND ROUND IN 2008
The conditions for a successful second round of BioFach China in the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center from 29-31 May 2008 couldn’t be better. According to market observers, organic farming, processing and marketing are developing exceptionally dynamically in China. The first BioFach China was ceremoniously opened with a whirl of drums and lucky dragon dances in Shanghai at the end of May 2007. The premiere with 216 exhibitors and 7,290 trade visitors exceeded all expectations. NürnbergMesse China, the NürnbergMesse subsidiary based in Shanghai, is the organizer of BioFach China, the exhibition for certified organic raw materials, processed foods, natural personal care and natural textiles.[+]

WORLDWIDE ORGANIC AREA TOPS 30 MILLION HA 
30.4 million hectares are currently certified to organic standards (as at the end of 2006). Australia continues to account for the largest certified organic area with 12.3 million ha, followed by China (2.3 m ha), Argentina (2.2 m ha) and the USA (1.6 m ha). The greatest share of the global organic area is in Oceania/Australia (42%), followed by Europe (24%) and Latin America (16%). In terms of certified land under organic management as a proportion of national agricultural area, the Alpine countries, such as Austria (13%, 361,487 hectares) and Switzerland (12%, 125,596 hectares), top the statistics. Compared to the adjusted data of the previous survey, the global organic area grew by approximately 1.8 m ha during 2006.
The recently published study entitled "The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2008" shows that the global market for organic products reached a value of 38.6 billion US dollars in 2006, according to Organic Monitor. This constitutes a growth of five billion US dollars compared with 2005.[+]

NEW ORGANIC SUPERMARKETS IN GERMANY
83 new specialist organic stores and organic supermarkets were launched in 2007 in Germany. These included 18 stores that moved to new, larger premises. Never in the last ten years have we seen so many organic stores opening their doors for the first time. At the beginning of 2008, there are around 450 specialist organic stores and organic supermarkets in Germany with over 200 m² of retail space. From 2000 to 2006, between 25 and 60 new organic supermarkets were founded every year. [+] 

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ORGANIC FARMING IN INDIA
Organic farming in India is set to get a major boost with investments coming into the sector, the Indian Food Processing Industries Minister Subodh Kant Sahai has said. "There is a plan to develop organic farming in India with investments up to 100 million euros in 23 states with partial support from the government," Sahai said at the Indian pavilion at BioFach 2008. Sahai said his ministry was also seriously considering the proposal from the industry to set up organic food parks in the country along with streamlining the agro-infrastructure with modernised facilities like cold chains. "The current global demand by the consumer for organic food has opened up new opportunities for trade and investments," Sahai said.
As India has been implementing the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) since 2001, the country has established a credible quality assurance system to meet consumer expectations, he said. [+] 

AFRICA IMPROVES IMAGE AT BIOFACH 2008
This year for the first time, the African continent as a whole was represented at a BioFach trade fair. The 75 producer groups from a dozen countries in hall 4 gave visitors a vivid impression of both cultural diversity and the organic products available for export. Even more was in store on Saturday, when Grolink (Sweden) and Agro Eco (Netherlands) organised a series of events that attracted a good number of visitors. Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya are all countries experiencing strong growth in the organic sector.
The man behind the African presence at BioFach, Gunnar Rundgren from Grolink, is very pleased with the results. He summed up that the African Pavilion was initiated to give Africa a stronger image and position as an organic supplier. "At the evaluation meeting all the participants agreed that the event had been a smashing success, and they are all committed to repeating it in the coming years."[+]

ORGANIC LAND IN GERMANY GROWS BY ALMOST 6 %
According to estimates by the Federation of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW), the organic farming area in Germany grew again by 5.8 % last year, which is slightly more than in the previous years. Altogether 5.3 % of the agricultural land in Germany is therefore farmed by organic means, which corresponds to 873,010 ha. A good two thirds of this area belongs to members of the organic farming associations, such as Bioland, Biopark, Naturland, Demeter or Gäa.
On the basis of current data, BÖLW assumes total sales of 5.3 billion euros for the organic food market in 2007. This is 15 % more than the previous year. Detailed information can be found in a current BÖLW brochure available online. [+]

MODENA BIO 2008, A TOP-LEVEL CONGRESS
The 16th Organic World Congress of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) unites the Organic World in Modena, Italy from 16th to 20th June 2008. Evo Morales, Vandana Shiva, Serge Latouche, Carlo Petrini and Wolfgang Sachs are among the delegates to have confirmed their attendance. Over 750 papers have been sent in from all over the world. The congress is being organized by IFOAM and ModenaBio and is expected to bring together about 2000 participants. It will run for five days, provide a platform for expounding the latest developments in scientific research and act as a catalyst for the strategies and instruments needed to preserve diversity and to disseminate ecologically and economically sustainable methods of production. [+]

IFOAM IS PATRON OF ONE WORLD AWARD
The One World Award (OWA) worth 25,000 euros is presented by the German producer Rapunzel for the first time. The patron of the award is IFOAM. The new award recognizes outstanding commitment and achievements in providing creative and high-impact solutions in the area of environmental protection and fair livelihoods. It also aims to encourage more commitment to a future worth living and to peaceful community building.
There will also be a One World Lifetime Achievement Award, which acknowledges pioneers and personalities who have played very active roles in the ecology movement. The deadline for nominations has been extended to 10th March.[+]

TUTTO BIO 2008, THE ORGANIC YEARBOOK FOR ITALY
The new Bio Bank Report on the organic scene in Italy is now available with very new figures. For the first time there is a province-by-province data survey, with 5 top and 10 leading provinces ranked according to categories of operators. The 2005-2007 period confirms the positive trend in the number of organic operators in each category, listed in order of growth for the first time. The short supply chain holds first place (increased by 60% from 222 to 356), with consumers organising themselves to buy in groups and farms opening their own stores (+ 37% to 1645) and offering accommodation (+ 25% to 1002), organic sales via e-commerce websites (+20% to 106), farmers’ markets (+ 10% to 204), shops (+9% to 1106), school canteens (+6% to 683) and restaurants (+1% to 174).[+]

EVENTS
[*] Planet Diversity opens doors: The World Congress on the Future of Food and Agriculture in Bonn from 12-16.5.2008.
www.planet-diversity.org

[*] The Bio Summit 2008 conference in Prague on 27 March reacts to growing organic food demand in Europe and introduces opportunities for organic food retailing in Central Europe; 27 March 2008, Prague/Czech Republic.
www.biosummit.cz

 NEWS TICKER

[*] The transition period for the use of potassium nitrate and sodium nitrite in Annex VI of the Organic Regulation has been extended until the end of December 2010.

[*] Woolworth is one of the largest retailers in South Africa and would like to appreciably increase the share of organic products in its range to promote farming methods that protect the groundwater.