Australia: Organic Market Report

Australian rural industries research will be provided a valuable new data platform with the introduction of regular biennial organic market reports, says Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) Director and Organic Standards Convenor Dr. Andrew Monk. The first Australian Organic Market Report was commissioned and published in 2008 by the Biological Farmers of Australia from independent research by the University of New England, and work on the next report, to be produced in the first half of 2010, will begin in mid-2009.  (Picture: Lake Wivenhoe, Australia)
 

To date there has not been an established mechanism capable of comprehensively collecting and analysing organic production data and extrapolating the information necessary for the optimum growth and stability of this vital industry sector, according to Dr. Monk.  Even with possible future involvement of the Australian Bureau of Statistics for some commodities, this inherent complexity will only be measured effectively via tailored organic specific research. The BFA reports will fill this gap in industry reporting and provide a data base that can be tracked in future years.
 

Whilst the 2008 report was by design and request conservative in its industry estimates, there were discrepancies. One such case in point was the reported statistics for Tasmanian organic horticulture and livestock which were lower than the actual figures. This under-reporting overlooked not only the current viability and vibrancy of the Tasmanian organic sector, but also the significant potential for growth in supply in the coming years. Access to improved methodology, combined with the additional resources both the BFA and University of New England are planning to commit in the coming years, will tighten future survey results, according to Dr Monk.
 

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