German organic sector grows in proportion and value

The area planted to organic crops in Germany increased slightly in 2012 despite the challenging economic environment, according to the Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV). The area cultivated with organic produce grew by 1.8% and the proportion of agricultural companies using organic methods grew by 2.2%, according to a BMELV press release. The figures come from the federal states' 2012 annual reports about organic farming. By the end of 2012, 1.03 million hectares were dedicated to organic agriculture. This area was managed by a total of 22,932 farmers.

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