The Prince of Wales has dismissed as “nonsense” the mantra that ‘organic won’t feed the world’.

The Prince’s comment came in a speech he made at Elm Farm Organic Research Centre (ORC) last month. In his speech, part of ORC’s 30^th birthday celebrations, he insisted “organic is the only truly sustainable form of agriculture and the one approach that has a real chance of mitigating the worst effects of climate change”.

The Prince criticised the “wasteful” approach of intensive farming and the fragmented systems that props it up. He added: “Organic, on the other hand, recognises that Nature is finite and has to be respected.”

To be followed on naturalproductsonline

FiBL and IFOAM present new facts and figures about Organic Agriculture world-wide at the BioFach World Organic Trade Fair 2010 in Nuremberg, Germany

  35 million hectares of agricultural land are certified Organic in 2008. It represents almost three million hectares more compared to 2007 : 

- Oceania dominates with 34.7 percent, followed by Europe with 23.4 percent and Latin America with 23 percent.

- Australia accounts for the largest certified organic surface area with 12 million hectares, followed by Argentina with 4 million hectares, and China (1.9 million hectares).

-The global market for organic products reached a value of over 50 billion U.S. Dollars in 2008.

These figures are presented at Biofach (17 to 20 February).

To have more details, please read Ifoam Release.

We have chosen to settle in Rungis to be closer to our customers located in the north of France.
In this building of 3 000 m², operational since late July, we sell and ship a wide variety of organic fresh and dry fruit and vegetables, as well as organic fruit juices.
We have nearly two hundred customers in this region and aim to deliver 150 more by 2010.
The new warehouse allows us to shorten delivery times, improve our service and maximize the freshness of our fruits and vegetables.
We also reduce the distances that separated us from the production areas of North, Central and North West of France.
The warehouse in Rungis is the fourth ProNatura's French platform after Cavaillon, Perpignan and Plouha (Britain).

For many, Britain produces only cauliflower, artichokes and mash. But the list of productions from this region is much longer, especially in this season. 
More than 25 different vegetables are now in ProNatura Bretagne's products list: beets, artichokes, fennel, chard, courgettes, celeriac, celery, squash, onion white boots, pink onions of Roscoff, cabbage turnip, broccoli , shallot, radish, cucumber, turnip and several varieties of tomatoes. 
A great diversity that reflects the vitality of Organic farming in this important french area production.

(Commented slideshow)

We are delighted to announce the strengthening of the partnership between ProNatura and Primeur Bio du Souss (PBS). After 7 years of close cooperation, PBS has become the North African leader of organic vegetable production thanks to its organization, its reputable quality and the size of the operations (8 farms over 200 ha).

We strongly believe the future success of our partnership resides in an even stronger collaboration between production and commercial which will lead to the integration of the production and the packing operation of PBS in ProNatura Group. This integration could come to fruition by July 2009.

For the coming season, winter 2008 / 2009, ProNatura will be the exclusive distributor in Europe of PBS production.
ProNatura will send 2 commercial executives to second PBS in developing and organizing direct shipments from Agadir to our customers hence improving customer service and quality.

This year we expect to commercialize around 7 000 tonnes of product among which tomato, peppers, courgette, cucumber, aubergine and melon. We shall also inform you in due course of the citrus production both organic and in conversion.

Henri de Pazzis (ProNatura's Chairman and Lahcen El Hjoujy, PBS's Chairman)

A website totally dedicated to organic Agriculture was lauched by the European Commission. It was part of the campaign which took place in July "to increase awareness of organic farming throughout the European Union". 22 european languages are used.

If it's general contents "is tailored towards consumers, a special toolbox section provides print, photographics and audiovisuel material" to be used by professionals.

To know more : europa.eu/agriculture/organic

British producers struggle to keep up with consumers' soaring demand.

Figures to be released this week will reveal that the organic industry is in grave danger of becoming a victim of its own success. The public hunger to shop ethically, locally and sustainably - a phenomenon that reached its acme with the high-profile opening last month of the American Whole Foods Market in London's Kensington High Street - is eating up British crops faster than farmers can produce them. The organic sector's success is creating problems that could end up irrevocably damaging consumer confidence in organic food.

Source:The Guardian - Amelia Hill - July 1, 2007

Contiinue reading:Organic food under threat.doc

Continue reading (source:Organic-Market.Info)

Researchers from University of California, Davis found that organic kiwi fruit had much higher levels of polyphenols and antioxidant activity.

Continue reading (source:999today)