a guest post! Maria Rainier

A Look at the Global Organic Market

In recent years, the global organic market has been booming thanks to more and more considered citizens wanting to lead healthier lives and putting more thought and consideration into the environment.

But due to the economic crash of 2008, statistics have shown that the global organic market, specifically in relation to organic food and beverages, has slightly declined due to the fact that the current state of the economy has put a damper in people’s wallets.

Between 2000 and 2009, global revenue in the global organic market increased dramatically from 18 billion to 54.9 billion USD. But between 2008 and 2009, statistics proved that organic sales grew a mere 5% due to a reduction in investments as well as “consumer spending power.” But in the past year or so it seems as though the economy has been recovering, (although at a snail’s-like pace), and now experts are predicting that more and more people will start spending money on the global organic market thus the numbers are expected to rise once again.

A growth in organic produce

Despite the fact that the global organic market has not been growing as fast as it has been in previous years, many regions in the U.S. as well as other countries are still experiencing organic produce supply shortages. This is because more and more citizens are turning to local farmers to purchase duty-free organic food and produce, and they’re also hoping to grow their own fruits and vegetables in their yards as well to avoid expensive food prices altogether.

The future of the global organic market

Experts are predicting that there will be a growing demand for global organic produce in emerging economies as well as a rise in private organic labels as well. This could be due to the fact that although the growth in the global organic market has actually slowed down, there has been a rise in the variety of different organic products on the market, which now range from organic clothing, make-up, furniture, vehicles and much more. 

Furthermore, more and more companies are now tapping into the “green” market by including many eco-friendly practices in how they grow and produce their products, as well as the various services that they offer as well.

Even though growth statistics have been looking grim over the past few years, the continuing global organic growth is living proof that not only can it survive an economic recession, it may even become the norm in consumer spending as well.

Sources:

http://www.organic-world.net/yearbook-2011.html

http://www.organicmonitor.com/700340.htm

http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/organic-produce-is-a-real-growth-market-20110603-1fkph.html

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she’s written on farm management careers along with a piece on business administration degree programs. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, playing piano, and working with origami.