Today, as part of the celebration of the Organic Day in Ukraine, organic market data for 2023 were presented to the public.
A year ago, state registers of certification bodies and operators in the field of organic production and circulation of organic products began to operate. For 2023, 152 operators were certified, including 134 agricultural producers.
The total area of agricultural land (organic and in-conversion), certified according to the Law of Ukraine, amounted to 77,463 hectares. At the same time, the total area of land certified according to the Equivalent EU Organic Production & Processing Standard for Third Countries and NOP (USA) amounted to 471,176 hectares, and the number of operators reached 481 (including 383 agricultural producers).
According to the data of The Center for Food and Land Use Research at Kyiv School of Economics in 2023, the area of agricultural land in Ukraine was 32.7 million hectares, which is 26.04% less compared to the area before the full-scale invasion. Accordingly, the share of land used for organic production was 1.44%.
According to the results of 2023, the domestic market of organic products in Ukraine began to stabilize after a significant drop in 2022. A total of 7,257 tons of organic products of own production were sold in the amount of UAH 982 million. This is actually in line with 2019 figures before the covid-19 pandemic.
There were no changes in product categories; dairy products remain in the first place in terms of sales volume, in the second place – the fresh group, where the greatest growth took place, and in the third place – cereal and grain products, flour, seeds and snacks.
Despite the difficulties caused by the full-scale invasion, 75% of consumers in Ukraine say they are ready to buy organically certified products. But poor awareness, including about labelling, the inability to find or recognize organic products on store shelves, and the often misleading labelling of non-organic products lead to low demand for organically certified products.
In total, about 50 operators sold their products on the domestic market in 2023. We remind you that from July 1, 2024, a mandatory condition for the sale of organic products is the presence of a certificate confirming organic production in accordance with the requirements of the legislation of Ukraine, as well as the placement of the state organic logo on the packaging.
According to the results of 2023, there was a reduction in the export of organic products to 189 thousand tons – this is the lowest figure in the last 8 years. In particular, this is due to a decrease in the import of organic agro-food products to the EU. A detailed analysis of exports can be heard soon at the conference “International online conference “Organic Export From Ukraine During The War”.
Currently, the share of organic products sold on the domestic market is no more than 5% of the total amount of organic products produced.
Kateryna Shor, OrganicInfo.ua
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We invite you to read and use the updated infographic on important indicators of the domestic market and export of organic products from Ukraine:
- Organic map of Ukraine 2023 (Ukrainian law)
- Organic Map of Ukraine 2023 (EU, NOP)
- Organic production of Ukraine for 2016-2023 (land certified)
- Organic operators for 2016-2023
- Sales of organic products in 2018-2023: domestic market
- Overview of the Ukrainian Domestic Organic Market, 2023
- Volume organic products sold, 2023 (by groups)
- Sales of organic products in 2016-2023: export market
- Organic export from Ukraine (2023, overview)
- Export of organic products from Ukraine World (2023, countries)
- Export of organic products from Ukraine to EU (2023, countries)
- Import of organic products to EU (2023, volumes)
- Export of Ukrainian organic products: Top 10 exported products (world, 2023)
- Export of Ukrainian organic products: Top 10 exported products (EU, 2023)