Organic produce sales are rising in Asia thanks to growing consumer spending power and concerns about food safety, according to market researcher Organic Monitor (OM).
Leading retailers are responding to high consumer demand by introducing organic foods in their stores, some under private labels. The number of independent organic food shops is also mushrooming, the UK-based firm said in a recent report.
“The Asian organic fruit and vegetable market was worth about US$235m in 2009. Sales have been growing by about 10-15 per cent a year,” OM’s Tina Gill tells Asiafruit Magazine. “We project the market to continue to grow by about 10-15 per cent a year in the coming years (2011-2016).”
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China are currently the largest markets for organic produce in Asia, according to OM. India, Thailand and Malaysia, meanwhile, represent new emerging organic markets in the region.
“We have been doing continuous research on the Asian organic food industry since 2001,” explains Ms Gill. “Our methodology involves secondary data sources as well as primary research. When we look at Asia, we look at all Asian countries, spanning from Iran to Indonesia and Japan to the Philippines.”
Organic apples, oranges, bananas, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce top organic produce sales across the region, OM research found.
“Concerns over food safety is a major `sales` driver in most countries, however growing consumer spending power is more important for emerging economies like China and India,” Ms Gill says.
To order a copy of Organic Monitor’s full report on the Asian market, contact Tina Gill services@organicmonitor.com
