EU: 1 % of the acreage for potatoes is organic

In the 27 countries of the EU, 23,000 hectares were used for growing potatoes according to organic standards in 2006. This is equivalent to 1 % of the total area for potato growing in Europe. The most important countries were Germany with 7,500 hectares, Austria with 2,426 hectares and Great Britain with 2,360 hectares. In relation to the total cultivation of potatoes, the organic area was the largest in Austria (11 %). Sweden’s share was 3.1 %, Germany’s 2.7 %, Denmark’s 2.5 % and Estonia’s share was 2 %.

In 2007, Germany’s area increased from 8,400 to 8,600 hectares. The yield is estimated at 120,000 to 135,000 tonnes at lower earnings, compared with 148,000 tonnes in the previous year. After two years with intensive growth regarding organic land, no major increases are planned for 2008, according to some producer corporations and marketing agents. Existing organic companies reached their limits, and new, fully converted companies are rare.

source: www.freshplaza.com

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