Hungary in the top 10 fastest-growing organic producer countries

Report shows Hungary is one of the top 10 most dynamically developing organic producers - Organic horticulture results also promising

A bowl of fresh apples
Beeld: ©Nicky

The Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi) recently reported that Hungary is among the top 10 most dynamically developing countries in organic farming, based on the report The World of Organic Agriculture Statistics and Emerging Trends 2021 by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL and IFOAM.

Although in total land area, the share of organic farming in Hungary is not particularly high (6%, this figure for Hungary’s Western neighbor, Austria, is 26.1%), the increase in land area used in organic farming has been high in 2020. With an increase of 93.8 thousand hectares used in organic farming based on 2019 data, Hungary has ranked 10th in the list of highest increase of organic land in the world. The number of enterprises engaged in organic agriculture similarly increased in recent years, by 2019, this number reached 5600.

Beeld: ©IFOAM & FiBL
Source: The World of Organic Agriculture Statistics and Emerging Trends 2021, https://www.fibl.org/fileadmin/documents/shop/1150-organic-world-2021.pdf

On the topic of organic horticulture, Hungary has had favorable results. With a total area of 6884 ha, Hungary is the world’s 12th biggest organic fruit producer. The leading organic fruit products in the total production volume are elderberries (20%), walnut (more than 40%), pomes (15-20%) as well as sea buckthorn, cherries and sour cherries.

Last year we reported on the state of organic agriculture in Hungary, and we recently reported on the state of the horticultural fruit and vegetable growing sectors.