Organic products are still in demand with customers. Revenues in 2016 grew by 9.9%, compared to the previous year, according to the AgrarMarktInformation (AMI) in Bonn. Carsten Bauck, chairman of the eco-committee of the Landvolk Lower Saxony laments that local farmers often do not profit from the growing demand. The reasons for that are the dynamic changes becoming visible in the sales structure. Supermarkets, for example, have expanded their sales mostly in the organic department. Looking at the developments of health food retailers, one can notice a significant trend towards larger structures. According to the AMI, there were 110 new stores opening in 2016 - more than half of which had a size of 400 square meters or more and many of them are operated by chains.
Prices for organic products remain stable, says the Landvolk press service. According to the Bureau of Statistics, eggs, carrots and meat are the most popular products in their respective categories. The demand for organic dairy products is on the rise as well and processing has been expanded. There are regional differences for how much is spent on organic products. On average, households in Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg spend up to 30€ more than households in Lower Saxony. Many farmers have reacted to the growing demand and have continuously expanded the acreage for organic products, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Recently it amounted to 1.25 million hectares.
Source: LPD