Italian Scientists and Scholars of North America Foundation
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BIOFACH 2007: ITALIAN ORGANIC FOOD TAKES CENTRE STAGE
Rome (Ign) - Italy will be the Country of the Year at Biofach 2007. The prestigious show of organic food products, this year being held at the Exhibition Centre at Nuremberg between 15th and 18th February, attracted 1900 exhibitors to its last edition - two thirds from abroad, including 273 Italians - and 30,000 trade professionals. With the patronage of IFOAM (the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), and thanks to its rigid admission requirements, Biofach (www.biofach.de) ensures the high quality of the products on show. In recent years Italy has been the country with the highest number of exhibitors after Germany, which explains the decision to make it a partner country. In addition to its usual Italy Point, the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) will run an area in Pavilion 4 called "Piazza Italia", where the show will be officially inaugurated and which will host a series of events. The aim is to give the greatest possible visibility to participating Italian firms, which this year will total 319 (+16% on last year), with 161 hosted in Pavilion 4.
Moreover, Italy holds a position of absolute and undisputed leadership in the field. One million hectares of land are laid over to organic farming, with 37,000 producers certified in 2005, and a total of 50,000 working in the sector. This industrial reality is the result of a thirty-year tradition, dating back to the 1970s, when the first farmers arrived on the scene to supply the health food shops that were being opened in Germany. Over the years, in addition to citrus fruits and cereal-based foods, the range of products has expanded to include organic pasta, extra virgin olive oil, antipasti and cheese, not to mention sweet products such as chestnut or fig jam, which continue to be extremely popular both in Italy and abroad. In fact, overall turnover in the sector in 2005 reached levels of €2.4bn, of which 700m was realised abroad (ISTAT figures). Large-scale distribution saw a 5% increase in the sales of organic products, while in specialised shops increases peaked at between 14% and 17%. The range of organic food on the menus in the 250 Italian organic restaurants and farm holiday centres (over 700 in Italy) is constantly on the increase. Following the issue in 2000 by the Italian government of a law that forces state schools and hospitals to use organic ingredients, the Regional Governments of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Tuscany and Marche have introduced organic canteens, which, according to the farmers' association Coldiretti, now number 647, serving over 3m meals a year. These are more widespread in the North, where 72% of them are based, followed by the Centre (21%) and South (7%) of the country.
A separate sector is that of wine: at Biofach 300 international exhibitors will meet to show their products. And Italy has impressive figures in the field, with 5000 organic winegrowers and 25,000 hectares of vineyards. Italian organic wine is appreciated above all by the international market, which absorbs between 70% and 80% of production. Sicily is the region with the highest number of businesses in the field. At present Italian organic wine represents 72% of the total exported in Europe.
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