Italian record in Europe of organic agricultural producers

The agricultural area devoted to organic farming in Italy reaches an all-time high of 2.3 million hectares (+7.5 percent), with nearly one in five (19 percent) of the total fields and more than 82,000 organic farmers (the highest number among European Union countries).

This was revealed in late September by Coldiretti's analysis, presented on the occasion of European Organic Day. In Italy, organic land is: 43 percent arable (wheat, barley and oats), 28 percent meadows and pastures, 24 percent permanent crops (orchards, olive groves and vineyards) and 2.5 percent vegetables.

The success of Italian organic and short supply chain is also confirmed by the reduction in the quantity of organic products imported from abroad: -31% vegetable oils and fats, -26% industrial crops and -22% cereals (latest Bio in Figures Report, 2022 data compared to 2021).

This success is driven by consumer confidence with 1 in 5 citizens - according to Coldiretti - regularly consuming organic products and willing to pay even more to buy a certified organic product, while 13 percent of consumers are certain that in the near future they will increase their spending to bring organic products to the table. The push toward organic is supported mainly by health reasons, but very important in the choice of purchase, the territory of origin and the guarantees of certification. 

The requirement to write the origin of the raw material on the label and the willingness of industry and consumers to value zero-mile products is promoting the construction of national organic supply chains. The national logo of organic Made in Italy, provided for by the national law for the sector, and the possibility of creating important supply chain contracts for organic products as well, will further contribute to an increasingly sustainable development of agrifood supply chains. Against this backdrop, Coldiretti bio, the association of companies and experts in the sector, was born to contribute to an increasingly sustainable green transition and an enhancement of organic on the plate.