Czech Republic: Organic farmers seeing growth

There is growth, it seems, in growing organic produce. The organic agriculture sector swelled nearly 50 percent in 2009 to a total of 2,689 organic farms, according to the industry research organization Bioinstitut. Organic farms now cover almost 400,000 hectares of Czech land, representing 9.38 percent of the total agricultural area in the country.

While the figure falls short of a 2004 action plan that sought to expand the organic sector to 10 percent of overall agriculture by 2010, the plan is still widely seen as a success, with improvements on all fronts, including product processing, research, advisory services and farmer education.

« Organic farming has a lot to offer Czech agriculture in the future, as well as the Czech landscape, nature and consumers, » says Karolína Dytrtová, project coordinator at Bioinstitut. « Considering organic farming is such a rich source of innovation and sustainable practice, it can offer its techniques as an example to the whole food and agricultural sector. »

The Czech Republic is the seventh-largest producer of organic food in Europe, on a list led by Spain and Italy, and the country is considered at the forefront of organic culture since its first organic farms were established in 1980.

« The Czech Republic has developed really well, » Jean-Francois Hulot, head of the European Commission’s organic farming unit, told The Prague Post. « What’s different about it is that, unlike some of the other EU member states, the Czech Republic had already established a standard for organic farming well before it joined in 2004. »

Because Czech policy was already similar to that of the EU, Hulot said, regulations made an easy transition. « There was a very good impression in Brussels from the start, » he said.

According to Bioinstitut, the main reason for the surge in the organic sector is increased state subsidies, which almost doubled between 2006 and 2008, from 322 million Kc per year to an estimated 600 million Kc per year, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Along with more organic farmers, organic food processing also grew substantially in 2009, jumping 22 percent to 501 total producers of organic products, and the sector shows no signs of slowing down in 2010.

« For the January-February period this year, there has been further dynamic growth of new organic farmers that puts the number of organic farmers heading toward 3,000, » said Agriculture Minister Jakub Šebesta.

Farmers see real progress in all aspects of organics, but say there is still room for improvement. « Something needs to be done so farmers don’t have their hands tied up in the bureaucracy that still exists, » said Václav Silovský, an organic Angus beef breeder and owner of the Aberdeen Angus Steak House in Plzen. « In many cases, officials decide on certain rules that do not have any justification. Not so long ago, there were so many obstacles that the producers had to sell their products from their own yards. »

Now, however, most supermarkets in Prague offer organic products. For a good selection of organic fruits, vegetables, cow and goat dairy products, shoppers can go to specialty markets like Rozmarýn in Prague 5 or Albio, with locations on Dejvická, Truhlárská and Viktor Hugo streets. In recent years, organic collectives, which bring organic fruits and vegetables to pick-up points in Prague, have begun sprouting up. A farmer’s market slated to open in Modrany in the spring offers another new selling point for organic producers.

However, the increased price tag on organic products – stemming from less efficient harvests as farmers shun the use of chemicals and hormones – means it is unlikely such products can ever corner the market.

« I don’t see the future of organic integration as being 100 percent of total agriculture, but some environmentally friendly practices could be adopted, and I am sure consumers will want to see that in the very near future, » Dytrtová said.

Source: praguepost.com