Pineapples, bananas and sugar cane represent 98% of total exports of organic products from Costa Rica to ten European Union countries.
Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Latvia, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are the nine European markets where Costa Rica exports its organic agricultural production, mainly made up of sugar, bananas, coffee and pineapples, cocoa, papaya, guava and carambola.
58% of Canadian families buy organic food at least once a week, making it an attractive market for companies producing these products.
The demand for organic food has grown in recent years both in Europe and in North America, where countries such as Germany, Switzerland, the United States and Canada are buying more and more organic food which is free of pesticides, dyes and other chemicals in order to improve their health.
Between 2010 and 2011 the amount of land sown with seeds for organic products was reduced from 11,115 hectares to 7,448 hectares.
The reduction in revenues from developed markets due to the economic crisis and high production costs may be the reasons behind the reduction in the global demand for organic products, by companies in this sector.
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Suppliers of organic products reported a rise in sales and improved market conditions.
A statement from the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) reads:
Sales of organic products in Europe Recover
According to Organic Monitor many suppliers of organic products have reported a rise in sales and improved market conditions, however, this situation is not shared by all European countries.
The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM in Spanish) has issued new rules to replace those previously established in 2005.
A statement from the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) reads:
The IFOAM has published new rules to replace those previously established in 2005 and these have been approved by electronic vote of the members of the federation, a process which ended on August 5.
The French market for organic products grew by 10% in 2011, despite the crisis.
From a press release by Procomer:
Despite the crisis the consumption of organic products in France has increased.
In ten years, the French "bio" market, despite the crisis, has maintained the interest of consumers. The market has grown ten percentage points in 2011 to reach a turnover of around 4 billion euros, while French household consumption has declined by 0.5% on average for 2011, partly due to decreased spending on food, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies in France.