site.btaBulgaria's Organic Farming Area Marks Third-Highest Growth in EU in 2012-2022, But Its Share Remains Lowest

Between 2012 and 2022, the area for organic agricultural production in Bulgaria increased by 182%, which was the third highest rate in the EU after Croatia's (306%) and Portugal's (278%). However, by 2022 Bulgaria still had the lowest share of organic farming area in the EU, at 2% of total utilized agricultural area, as low as in Ireland, the Statistical Office of the European Commission (Eurostat) reported on Wednesday.

The largest shares of organic farming area in 2022 were reported in Austria (27%), Estonia (23%) and Sweden (20%). At the other end of the spectrum, five countries had under 5%, with Malta ranked at the very bottom with 1%. In absolute terms, the organic farming area in the EU continued to increase in 2022, reaching 16.9 million hectares, up from 15.9 million hectares in 2021 and 14.7 million in 2020. By 2022, the bloc's organic farming area was 10.5% of its utilized agricultural area.