|
|
|
Report predicts organics boom
9 Oct 2003
A new report says wine, dairy and fruit juice will be the boom sectors for organic agriculture. The US, Japan, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, France and Sweden are the main consumers of organics and are driving the industry towards a huge increase in value. The global market this year was worth $US22 billion and it's expected to grow to $100 billion by 2006.
South Australia's Primary Industries Minister, Paul Holloway, says this represents a significant shift that opens opportunities for producers. The report suggests an undersupply of organic produce is limiting Australia's ability to capture and hold export markets, Mr Holloway said. In addition to the undersupply problem, there's a shortage of key manufacturing ingredients of organic standard, such as sugars and emulsifiers, to enable value-adding through processing.
The report identifies five boom areas for organics: dairy, wine, fruit juice, ready meals, cakes and biscuits. About 75 per cent of organic production is in the horticulture industry, with most new growth expected to be in this sector, especially from big industries like wine. The report says greater resources are needed to help farmers who want to make the switch to organic production systems.
Weekly Times, 8/10/03, page 22.
|
|
