The 13th edition of the Forum of Organic Food and Agriculture, organized by Agence Bio, took place on December 6th in Paris. The theme of this edition was “Organic Farming and Agroecology: place and role of organic farming in the ecological transition.” The event was attended by Marc Fesneau, French minister of agriculture, who promised additional financial aid to support Agence Bio, in charge of the development, promotion and structuring of French organic agriculture.
Marc Fesneau
Hit by inflation and a drop in demand, the organic sector is going through a crisis. After reaching a peak in consumption and sales in 2020, the demand for organic products has been stagnating or declining, especially this year. According to the French minister of agriculture, “this crisis should not stop us from continuing to develop the organic sector. Organic farming has its place.”
At this Forum of Organic Food and Agriculture, @MFesneau announced that additional means were being put in place to accomplish the missions of @agence_bio, including an additional 750k for the next campaign conducted by Agence Bio with the organic sectors. pic.twitter.com/Keq6eAJXgh
— Agence BIO (@agence_bio) December 6th, 2022
In front of an assembly of professionals gathered for the occasion Marc Fesneau announced that the Organic Future Funds, managed by Agence Bio in order to subsidize structuring projects for the sector, should benefit from another 5 million euros [5.25 million USD] within the framework of the draft finance law 2023, for a total amount of 13 million euros [13.65 million USD]. Agence Bio will also receive a state funding of 750,000 euros [787,302 USD] for the deployment of a new communication campaign.
An additional 150,000 euros [157,460 USD] will be granted to Agence Bio in order to start studies, before the end of the year, to better understand the crisis and the reasons behind the drop in demand. This will serve as preparatory work for the prospective study that will then be conducted in 2023 to reflect on the scenarios of organic consumption by 2040.
Given the current economic and structural challenges, it is essential to take action for the organic sector, which has been particularly affected by the crises we are going through.
The French government will support the sector.
2/2 pic.twitter.com/2dV5turepm
— Marc Fesneau (@MFesneau) December 6th, 2022
For more information:
Agence Bio
agencebio.org