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Belgium increased its organic surfaces
Belgium
Tuesday 04 May 2010
FJ
Wallonia increased its organic surfaces of 59 %.
In the country, the biological agricultural surfaces increased: 5 % in Flanders and 59 % in Wallonia.
Walloon Minister for Agriculture, Benoît Lutgen, indicated that surfaces dedicated to the bio were crossed of 20.345 ha in 2004 and 32.330 ha in 2008, that is a 59 % increase; and represented 4,3 % of the Walloon useful agricultural surface.
The number of farmers practising the organic in Wallonia increased as well as the granted subsidies: "the total amount of the helps was 7,85 million euro in 2009, while it amounted to 4,78 million euro in 2004. "
In Flanders, the organic surfaces, which had decreased between 2002 and 2005, went up again, by increasing by 5 % between 2008 and 2009 and by 17 % between 2005 and 2009, according to figures given by Flemish Minister-president Kris Peeters, in charge of the Agriculture. The organic surfaces in Flanders represent only 1 % of the total agricultural surface.
In Belgium, as in the other European countries, the demand of organic products does not seem to know the crisis. In 2009, the organic sector represented 304,6 million euro of turnover, which is an increase of more than 15 % with regard to the previous year.
source : rtl info and 7sur7
