Times are tough for organic producers: the supply is, at the moment, greater than the demand for these fruits and vegetables. The situation is such that some organic growers have to get rid of part of their production, while others are wondering if they will have to return to conventional agriculture, which is more profitable.
For Thomas Schmidt, project manager at the College of Walloon Producers for the organic sector, a drop in demand occurs every year during this period: “During the holiday period, there are difficulties, because that is when production is higher and demand is lower, because people go on holiday” he explains. “This year, it’s accentuated, because people go on vacation even more. People have less money to spend on food and more on energy for example“says Thomas Schmidt.
Result: there are fewer organic products sold since the beginning of the year, and declining turnover for a sector accustomed to growth so far. Some producers must now think of solutions. This is the case of Cédric Dumont, an organic farmer in Ramillies in Walloon Brabant: “If economically, we see that we are not doing well in 2022, 2023 will be reoriented towards conventional which, today, is more profitable than organic“.
This slowdown is a first when the years 2020 and 2021 had been exceptional. The decline in the sector began to be felt as soon as the confinements ended and has been accentuated in recent months, with household budgets subject to rising energy prices. The figures for the organic sector thus return to a level lower than that of the pre-pandemic period.
Growers end up with a lot of unsold material, something to do with. “The production is stored, it requires a lot of energy and everyone knows that it has increased, so it is not economically feasible anymore” justifies Cédric Dumont. To eliminate this overproduction, “there are no 35 solutions“he says:”Or it’s for livestock, if it can still be used and isn’t too expensive, otherwise it goes directly to methanisation to make biogas.“.
As of December 31, 2021, Wallonia had 1,969 organic farms. In other words, 15% of Walloon farms are organic, as is one in eight Walloon agricultural hectares. If the sector has been on the rise for several years in the south of the country (nearly 1,000 more organic farms in 10 years), growth was weak in 2021, with only 68 additional organic farms. Since 2010, the areas devoted to organic farming in Wallonia have doubled, but we are still very far from the Walloon government’s objective of increasing the organic share to 30% by 2030.
