Spain has more organic production than any other country in Europe, according to figures unveiled at organic trade fair BioFach, held in Nuremberg in February.

Thanks to the growth of production in Andalusia, Spain now offers 1.25 million hectares of organic cultivation, outstripping previous leader Italy’s 1.15m ha.

The data was announced by Francisco Casero, chairman of the Organic Agriculture Committee of Andalusia. The Spanish region has 784,000ha of certified organic production, making it the country’s largest in terms of area and number of organic operators.

Between December 2007 and December 2008, the number of organic fields in Andalusia increased by 34 per cent, while the number of operators increased by 12 per cent, the industry by 10.4 per cent and organic outlets by 24.1 per cent.

The annual event drew 46,771 visitors to the Nuremberg exhibition centre, 38 per cent non-German, including buyers from 129 countries, including Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark.

BioFach attracted some 2,744 exhibitors, two-thirds of whom were international. Germany was represented by 941 stands, followed by Italy (394), Spain (205), France (181) and Austria (104).

The four-day exhibition pleased visitors, with 98 per cent satisfied with the products and services on offer and 86 per cent aiming to visit the annual event again in 2010.

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