The Valencian ecological sector grows more in the first half of 2019 than in 2018
The organic sector of the Valencian Community continues to grow. If 2018 closed with 114.509 certified hectares, 18.6% more than in 2017, in the first semester of 2019, the area has already exceeded everything that was certified last year and the three provinces have 143.404 hectares certified, 28.895 hectares more than last year, or what is the same, 25.2% more, according to yesterday the Committee of Organic Agriculture of the Valencian Community (CAECV).
By provinces, València is the one with the most surface area, with 60,398 hectares, followed by Alicante, with 49,611 hectares and Castelló, with 33,395 hectares. Thus, the area devoted to organic farming in the Valencian Community represents 6.1% of the total agricultural area and 17.5% of the useful agricultural area, when at the end of 2018 the figures were 5.7% and 13.9%, respectively.
For the president of the CAECV, José Antonio Rico, “we are talking about growths that exceed, and by far, the two digits. In the last year and a half, the area certified in the Region has practically doubled, “he said.
The Region closed 2018 with 2,904 certified operators (agricultural producers, stockbreeders, vegetative material, aquaculture, companies and importers). This figure represented an increase of 11.2% compared to 2017. In the first half of 2019, this figure has also been exceeded, since we have 3,308 certified operators, which represents a growth of 13.9%. “It is clear that organic farming is generating more perspectives among young people who want to join the agricultural activity,” said Rico, for whom women are playing a leading role in the sector, “as it exceeds 24.5% of the total of the producers ».
