Demand for organic foods increasing in Czech Republic

Czech farming has seen huge changes since the days of communism, when the majority of farmers were forced to work on collective farms. Now all that has changed, and more and more farmers are choosing to follow the international trend towards organic farming, partly in response to worries over food safety. Martin Hrobsky reports.

Organic farming has only existed in the Czech Republic since 1989. Today, the industry has seen substantial growth, thanks largely to government subsidies. The number of registered organic farms in the Czech Republic has increased from just three in 1990 to over 560 in the year 2000, accounting for over 560,000 hectares of farm land. The main organic farming regions are in Southern Bohemia and Moravia.

A major conference entitled Bio Fach is taking place in Nuremberg Germany, bringing together organizations, producers, and consumers of organic products from 62 countries. Marketa Doubravska from the Czech organization Pro-Bio took time out from the conference to talk to Radio Prague:

"Pro-Bio is a non-governmental organization, associating organic farmers in the Czech Republic. Our aim is to promote ecological norms and environmentally-friendly farming as well as consumption of organic food. Pro-Bio has 500 members, including farmers, food processors, retailers, as well as schools and other consumers."

The Czech Republic has developed a system of labelling for organic products. Standards in the Czech Republic are fully compatible with international standards as well as those defined by the European Union. Consumers can see the 'Bio-logo' on all products which are certified organic. Radio Prague asked Ms. Doubravska what the market for organic products was like in the Czech Republic:

"The market for organic products in the Czech Republic has been growing steadily, as is also the case in the European Union where it has grown 15 percent a year. In 2001, people spent some 13 billion euros on organic products in the EU, which is a third more than the year before. We expect this upward trend to continue. Czech consumers are also very interested in these products and demand has been continually increasing."