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Bioproducts on display

February 15, 2012

The German town of Nuremberg is host to the world's largest specialist exhibition on organic products. The four-day show, which opened on Wednesday, looks into ways of expanding a booming market.

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Woman holding up an organic cheese
BioFach-Messe 2012 in NürnbergImage: picture-alliance/dpa

The annual BioFach fair is expected to draw over 2,400 exhibitors from 83 nations around the globe, including an estimated 50,000 traders and specialists.

Over 100,000 different items are on display, ranging from organic food products to non-food items such as natural cosmetics and eco-textiles.

The event is hosted by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the German Federation of Organic Food Industry (BÖLW).

Following a drop in domestic demand for organic products toward the end of the last decade, German deliveries of bioproducts are picking up again, especially with regard to organic food products.

Multi-billion euro business

With farmers unable to meet the growing domestic demand, vast amounts have had to be imported over the past few years, particularly vegetables, cereals, eggs and potatoes.

Germany's Agriculture Minister, Ilse Aigner, called on German farmers to react to market developments faster.

"German agriculture must try to satisfy domestic demand for organic products to the largest possible extent," Aigner said in a statement ahead of the Nuremberg exhibition. "There's still much room for improvement," Aigner added.

This year's fair in Nuremberg has a special focus on organic food production in India. Agricultural experts described that country as a "real paradise for organic raw materials." The subcontinent aims to raise its exports of bioproducts to $1 billion (759 million euros) within the next three years, up from $375 million.

The European Union and the United States on Wednesday signed an agreement in Nuremberg, stipulating that food products classified as organic in the EU or the U.S. can now be sold as such in both regions, effectively recognizing their respective bioproduct standards.

As in previous years, BioFach in Nuremberg will again be focusing on a broad range of topics related to proper organic food certification and labeling.

Author: Hardy Graupner (dpa, dapd)
Editor: Neil King