Last week, the Minister of Rural Affairs, Urmas Kruuse, met with the CEO of Organic Estonia Krista Kulderknup and her team to discuss the current state of the organic economy and the possibilities of increasing the export of the organic market to 500 million euros.
At the meeting, Organic Estonia presented the success factors of the leading country in the organic economy, Denmark, where organic food has been incorporated into state educational institutions to increase the demand for organic food, thereby increasing the export of organic food substantially.
According to the CEO of Organic Estonia, Krista Kulderknup, the progress of Denmark sets an example that is worth following and that fits in perfectly with the green image of Estonia. The Minister added that the objective of Organic Estonia to achieve the organic production export turnover of 500 million by 2025 requires good cooperation between the public and private sectors.
Krista Kulderknup made three specific proposals for increasing the volume of export. “The actual launch of the programme for the Estonian organic economy is of critical importance as it has been delayed for years. It has been laid down in writing, but unfortunately no real action has been taken at the state level,” explained Kulderknup, adding: “The programme for the Estonian organic economy would enable the strategic launch of the public organic food sector and create an image of the state as an organic food producer, which is a direct precondition for increasing the volume of exports. Our reputation as an organic country is fading, however we need this reputation now more than ever. Unless we work together at reviving the organic sector today, it will soon be impossible to regain our leadership.”
In March 2021, Tervix, a producer of organic products, joined Organic Estonia as the 50th member. In addition, the turnover of the members of Organic Estonia reached 100 million euros in March. According to the CEO of Organic Estonia the membership has grown significantly in recent years as members feel the need for an umbrella organisation to increase the domestic demand and to create more opportunities for export.
Organic Estonia is an umbrella organisation that serves as a B2B platform for organic companies, bringing together providers of certified and natural products of Estonia for the purposes of joint marketing and export. The main areas of activity of the members of Organic Estonia are organic food and catering, green and natural pharmaceutical products, natural cosmetics and cleaning agents, the timber industry, the exploitation of biological resources, organic farming, fishery and aquaculture, ecotourism and health tourism, organic textiles and wool, and other areas of organic economy. In cooperation with the Land Board and the Agriculture and Food Board, the first map of Estonian organic areas has been created to monitor the fulfilment of the objective of achieving 51% of organic area in Estonia.
