Sales of organic products continue to increase, but the sector did not benefit from the pandemic as much in 2021 as in 2020. The umbrella association Bio Suisse recorded sales growth of almost 4%, while they had increased by a fifth in 2020.
Total turnover exceeded 4 billion francs for the first time, Bio Suisse reported on Wednesday. In 2020, it was around 3.9 billion. But while German-speaking Switzerland and Italian-speaking Switzerland recorded slight growth, French-speaking Switzerland experienced a drop of 3%.
The market share of organic products increased by 0.6 percentage point to 10.9%. One of the reasons for the slowdown in its growth is that the Swiss once more ate more in restaurants and bought fewer organic products for their own cooking, explained a spokesperson for the association to the agency Keystone-ATS.
Despite everything, the Swiss have never spent so much money in one year for organic products, ie 459 francs per person last year once morest 445 francs the previous year.
Eggs on top
Among organic foods, eggs remained the most popular with a market share of 29.2%, followed by bread (26.3%) and vegetables (23.8%). Dairy products remain those generating the largest turnover, at 405 million, i.e. at the level of 2020.
The share of the total usable area operated organically increased slightly and stands at 17%. In the plain region, 12% of the useful agricultural area is exploited according to organic standards. In mountain areas, the proportion rises to a quarter.
Generation change
A total of 7,473 farms were working according to Bio Suisse specifications in 2021. Their share is particularly high in Graubünden: almost two thirds of the farms in the canton are organic.
With 23 additional farms nationwide, the number of new organic farms has decreased compared to previous years.
For Bio Suisse, this is due, among other things, to the generational change, which has led to the abandonment of more companies. Nationally, 16.8% of farms have the Bio Suisse Bud.
However, the association is counting on strong growth this year, due to the increase in demand for organic products in the retail trade. It intensified the search for farms interested in producing according to its standards.
The sustainability of the Swiss food system increases with each new hectare of agricultural land converted to organic, emphasizes Bio Suisse. Healthy food production and ecology remain intimately linked even in these geopolitically uncertain times, the association adds.
/ ATS
