In 2025, Spain has retaken the EU's organic production lead, once again overtaking France, which had held first place since 2020. According to the Infoam/FIBL report, Spain had 2,991,881 hectares of organic production in 2023, i.e. 316,550 hectares or 11.8% more than in 2022.
France ranked second with 2,767,447 hectares and Italy remained in third place with 2,455,586 hectares. The analysis, carried out by the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FIBL) and the Infoam Organics International organization, places Spain as a world power in organic production, ranking sixth globally behind Australia, India, Argentina, Uruguay, and China.
In terms of growth, Spain was third in 2023, behind Uruguay and China. Spain is the world's leading producer of organic olive trees and vineyards. It also occupies prominent positions in citrus and vegetables. Globally, organic production covered 98.9 million hectares in 2023, i.e. 2.1% more than the previous year.
The report, presented at Biofach 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany, estimates the global organic market at 136,400 million euros. Karen Hoberg, a board member of the Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture (SEAE), said that while the increase in acreage was "positive", the "prolonged drought" had affected yields and livestock. Hoberg highlighted the difficulty of reaching the European Commission's goal of having 25% of the Community's useful agricultural area (UAA) devoted to organic production by 2030. She also stressed the need for public policies to support the transition.
In 2023, 10.93% of the EU's UAA was devoted to organic production, with Austria leading with 27.3%. Spain had 12.2%. Évelyne Alcázar, international director of Ecovalia, said the sector expected consumption to grow in 2024 and 2025, following the boost given to organic food during the pandemic. Ms. Alcázar said the sector is "working every day" to achieve the goal of having 25% of the UAA devoted to organic production by 2030.
Source: efeagro.com