Organic farming grows in Latvia in 2015: association

The number of organic farms in Latvia grew by approximately 200 last year to 3,700, according to the Association of Latvian Organic Agriculture.

The farmlands officially registered as organic agricultural areas expanded by some 50,000 hectares to 230,000 hectares, BNS informed citing the association's board chairman Gustavs Norkarklis.

The turnover of the Latvian organic farming sector also grew in 2015.

Norkarklis attributed the rise in the number of organic farms in 2015 to the launch of the EU's Rural Development Program providing support to new agricultural enterprises, which facilitated the growth of organic agriculture in Latvia.

Norkarklis predicted that organic farmlands and the number of organic agriculture enterprises will keep growing also this year.

The Association of Latvian Organic Agriculture, established in 1995, is a professional organization uniting enterprises making, processing and selling organic agricultural produce, as well as supporters of the organic farming movement. Enditem