the world of organic agriculture - Organic Eprints

3 Contacts and Data Sources
In the future, following the completion of the free trade zone and the expansion of the local
market, this regulatory gap may become a stumbling block. Many efforts are being undertaken
to improve local markets (El Araby, 2004).
In Israel (Eshel and Rilov, 2004), the total organic sector is worth 180 million USD 5 , 30 percent
of which are marketed locally, whereas the remainder is exported. There are 17 authorized
organic shops, 50 points of sale in supermarkets and also a few hundred health food shops that
sell organic products. There are 12 companies dealing with organic export. The total volume of
organic export is around 35 million USD 6 per year (2003) of fresh products. The local market
covers around 10 million USD 7 .
In Lebanon (Khoury, 2004), export is being done by BioCoop and by local businessmen mainly
to the Gulf area. The value of the Lebanese production of fresh organic produce (vegetables and
fruits) for the year 2003 is estimated around 875’000 USD 8 .There are 23 between Health shops,
hypermarkets and restaurants. No data are available yet on organic produce in terms of quantity
or value on Import/Export.
In Malta (Calleja, 2004), about half of the organic producers sell their products at the farmers’
market. The other half sell them door to door or directly to a store or shop. Exportation is as yet
non-existent. Data on domestic consumption is still not available, both for local and imported
organic products. Imported organic products are available at supermarkets. The main countries
of import are Italy, the UK and Germany.
In the absence of local market and national labeling systems, organic food produced in Morocco
is oriented primarily towards exports (Kenny, 2004). Vegetables (especially tomatoes and
cucumbers) and citrus account for 95 percent of the goods that are exported to France, the UK
and Germany. For fruits and vegetables, 20 to 30 percent of the national production is excluded
from export and is sold in local markets as conventional products. There is, however, an exception
for this regarding argan oil 9 , which is sold as organic even in local markets. Fruits, vegetables and
other horticultural commodities are exported exclusively to the European markets while essential
and argan oils are exported to Europe and northern American markets (Canada and USA).
In Tunisia (Ben Kheder, 2004), most of the production is directed to the export market and sold
as typical Tunisian products. The main products are: olive oil and dates. The production of other
crops is still low and is marketed mainly in the local market, but no real local market for organic
products does exist as yet. A strategy is being prepared to encourage local consumption and
marketing of organic products. Recently, some companies started to export organic products.
5 180 million USD = 148.1 million EUR (per 31.12.2005)
6 35 million USD = 28.8 million EUR (per 31.12.2005)
7 10 million USD = 8.2 million EUR (per 31.12.2005)
8 875’000 USD = 739’051 5 EUR (per 31.12.2005)
9 Argan oil comes from the nuts of the Argan tree (Argania spinosa).This tree grows only in the South Western part of
Morocco in an area covering 700’000-800’000 hectares (Source: http://www.dietobio.com/aliments/en/argan.html)
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