Sales of organic food in Norway grew 8% in 2018 to be worth NOK 2.9 billion, according to a new report by the Norwegian Agricultural Agency.
Organic chicken was a particularly strong performer, with sales up by 30%.
While organic retail performed strongly in 2018, the report highlights challenges around supply. It shows that amount of organic farmland in Norway – currently accounting for 4.2% of total farmland – is starting to decline, leading to a growing need for imports. This follows a sharp increase in organic farmland from 2000 to 2012.
Norway’s organic industry has previously criticised the Norwegian Government over its decision to abandon national organic targets. This may have disincentivized some farmers from converting to organic.
Worryingly, the report also shows that a significant amount of organic produce is sold as conventional. While nearly all organic eggs are sold as organic, when it comes to milk that figure drops to 58%, and only 61% of organic meat was sold as organic.
Opportunity for farmers
But the report acknowledges that organic offers a big opportunity for farmers, particularly around farm incomes. It notes: “When the prices of conventional agriculture have declined, the prices of organic goods have increased, thus contributing to more farmers moving to organic production.”
Photo: Økologisk Norge via facebook.