2023-06-01 18:40:21
Sales of organic products fell in 2022, especially in specialist stores.
An organization of organic producers calls Thursday for “general mobilization” to help French organic farming faced with a drop in consumption and closings of points of sale. “The government and all the players active in the development of organic farming must react urgently so as not to watch with folded arms the burial of France’s agro-ecological transition,” said the National Federation of Agriculture in a press release. organic farming (Fnab).
It calls for “general mobilization” the day the Agence bio publishes its figures for 2022, testifying to the crisis experienced by this mode of production without pesticides or fertilizers from synthetic chemistry. According to this agency responsible for the promotion and development of organic, the share of organic food products in the shopping basket of the French is declining, dropping to 6% in 2022 (compared to 6.4% the previous year).
In comparison, the share of organic exceeds 10% in other European countries such as Denmark or Austria, which have “very proactive” policies, pointed out during a press conference the director of the agency, Laura Verdeau.
Drop in attendance
Sales of organic products for home consumption, which represent 92% of outlets in the sector, fell in value by 4.6% last year, standing at 12 billion euros. “The biggest drop affects the 3,000 organic stores, with a drop in attendance and nearly 200 closures,” said Laure Verdeau. Their sales fell by 8.6%, and those of large retailers by 4.6%. Conversely, the 26,000 organic farms in direct sale, “which combine organic and local, are growing” (+3.9%), she added.
In 2021, sales of organic products intended for home consumption (supermarkets, farm sales, etc.) had already fallen by 1.4%, the first drop since 2010. Sales of products for out-of-home consumption have, on the other hand, increased by 17% in 2022, the first year of full recovery of activity for restaurants following the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the share of organic food remains stable in collective catering (canteens) with 7% of purchases – still far from the 20% target set in the law in 2018 – and falls from 2% to 1% in commercial catering. , for which “everything remains to be done”, estimated Laure Verdeau.
The fall in purchases, in a context of high food inflation, is weighing heavily on organic producers, who are faced with unsold stock and falling prices. The Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau announced in mid-May a “crisis envelope” endowed with 60 million euros to help farmers in difficulty, as well as measures to stimulate demand such as the commitment that canteens under the responsibility of the State (ministry, army) are “exemplary” by reaching the objective of 20% organic on the menu.
“A real brake”
An effort still largely insufficient for the Fnab, which had considered the commitment of the State “symbolic” at this stage. “We need the public authorities to pass the course, or the breeders risk becoming converted because the demand is not there at the moment”, reacted Thursday to AFP Philippe Sellier, president of the organic commission of the meat interprofession (bovine, ovine and caprine) Interbev. “We are unable to convince people to go organic if they cannot value their work”, added this cow breeder in Normandy.
In 2022, 10.7% of agricultural land was cultivated organically, a figure that stagnated compared to 2021. France is expected to reach 18% in 2027. With the drop in demand, land in the first year of conversion towards this agriculture without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers fell by 40%. The balance between organic arrivals and departures “still remains positive, but reflects a real brake on the conversion dynamic”, according to the agency.
According to the roadmap drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture, “we should already be at 12% organic surfaces with 320,000 hectares more than the figures published today”, deplores the Fnab.
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