Expansion of Spanish organic farming

In 2019, the area dedicated to organic agriculture in Spain rose by 4.8% to 2.35 million hectares, according to Agriculture Minister Luis Planas, who added that the growth shows that the country is on the right track to meeting the EY’s sustainability and biodiversity goals. Over the past five years, organic agriculture has grown at an average rate of 7.5% per year and now comprises 9.3% of Spain’s total farming area. The main category is pasture and arable crops, which combined account for 75% of organic acreage. The next largest organic categories are nuts, grapes and olives. The organic fruit and vegetable are has grown significantly in recent times in response to increased demand and greater availability of fertilisation and pest control systems suitable for organic production. In the past five years, organic banana production area has increased by 25%, citrus by 19%, other fruits by 9%, and potatoes by 13%.