EU imports of organic produce rise 6.8%

Imports of organic fruits and vegetables to the European Union totalled 1,292,000 tons in 2020, an increase of 6.8% compared to the previous year, according to a report titled: « EU imports of organic agri-food products: key developments in 2020 » published by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission.

Around 65% of the total is accounted for by organic fruits, mainly bananas (which represent 81% of organic tropical fruit imports). A key category is tropical fruits, nuts and spices, up 9.2% to over 840,000 tons. Other key categories include citrus, up 31.3% to 36,700 tons, although imports of organic orange juice fell.

The leading supplier is Ecuador, whose 295,900 tons account for 35.1% of the total. Next comes the Dominican Republic with 221,600 tons (26.3%), followed by Peru with 127,800 tons (15.2%) and Colombia with 28,600 tons (3.4%).