As part of the Lower Saxony approach, the contractual partners have agreed to an increase to 10 percent by 2025 and even 15 percent by 2030. However, according to the latest application figures for 2024, the share of organically farmed land in Lower Saxony applied for at the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture (LWK) is only just under 6.6 percent. Although this represents an increase of around 13,000 hectares compared to the previous year, the Landvolk press service reports that a further 90,000 hectares would be needed by next year to reach the target.
It is clear that this figure cannot be achieved when you consider that more than two-thirds of the latest increase is due to permanent grassland alone. The willingness of market fruit farms to convert is correspondingly restrained. "To ensure that future goals remain realistic, new incentives are needed very soon, and above all, a healthy growth in the organic market," summarizes Carsten Bauck, chairman of the committee for organic farming in the Landvolk Niedersachsen.
Impressions of last year's Organic Trade Forum.
Market growth even without target
The Organic Trade Forum Vegetables and Potatoes organized by the Kompetenzzentrum Ökolandbau Niedersachsen (KÖN) on 27 November in Visselhövede will also address these topics. It begins at 9 o'clock with a political discussion. Carolin Grieshop, managing director of the KÖN, will discuss with Silvia Bender, undersecretary of state in the Federal Ministry for Nutrition and Agriculture (BMEL), Bioland president Jan Plagge and Dr. Marco Mohrmann, agricultural-political speaker of the CDU in the parliament of Lower Saxony, whether "market growth without targets" is also possible. The background to this is the target set for 2030 of 30 percent organic farming in Germany and the currently difficult organic market.
However, since consumer behavior is difficult to control, representatives from Alnatura, EDEKA, Lidl and the "Bio-Kartoffel Erzeuger Verein" (Organic Potato Growers' Association) answer the question of what they want to do to increase organic growth. Trends in vegetable growing, dual use of arable land and regenerative agriculture are further topics of the specialist forum with 30 speakers, just as many information stands and around 250 participants. The 8th Organic Trade Forum Vegetables and Potatoes begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.
Registration and more information:
Sabrina Skott
KÖN
Tel. 04262-9593-80
www.bio-fachforum.de