Italian agriculture is increasingly organic

In 2021 Italy registers a significant growth of the agricultural area destined for organic crops. According to the data of the Sana Observatory released on 8 September during the Bio Revolution event, held at the Bologna fair, in 2021 "sustainable" crops involved a UAA (useful agricultural area) of approximately 2.2 million hectares, marking + 4.4% compared to the previous year. The growth of the sector is even more impressive considering the last ten years. Between 2012 and 2021 the extension of sustainable crops increased by 87%, from 1.2 to 2.2 million hectares, to occupy about one fifth of the total UAA. This is a very significant percentage, since the average figure for the European Union does not reach 10%, stopping at 9.2%. With the increase in the cultivated area, in Italy, the value of "organic" sales also increased, reaching in the first seven months of the year 5 billion euros. Compared to the agri-food sector as a whole (208 billion euros in turnover in 2020, according to data disclosed during the Ambrosetti Forum last year), the weight of the organic segment is still marginal, however the growth trends are particularly pronounced. Between 2012 and 2022, the Observatory report states, the value of organic sales more than doubled, marking + 131%. The italian market is mainly driven by domestic consumption, equal to 79% of the total (but slightly down) while the “outdoor” ones (restaurants, for example) cover the remaining 21%.