Released on = April 3, 2007, 2:16 am

Press Release Author = Shushmul Maheshwari

Industry = Food & Beverage

Press Release Summary = Italy isn’t about heritage sites anymore. The country
is a leading name in the global organic food industry and has been crowned as the
organic ‘Country of the Year’.

Press Release Body = Anabio, the Italian association for organic agriculture, has
released the figures for period 2004 to 2006 indicating that the Italian organic
industry is showing positive trend in all major zones – sales, export, and
turnover.

As against 2004, the sales of organic products in the domestic market have grown by
197%, except supermarkets that have shown a regression in sales.

According to the figures revealed by the Italian Foreign Trade Institute (ICE), in
Italy, over 50,000 farms are devoted to organic farming, out of which 30% are
located in the southern regions of Puglia and Sicily.

Average turnover for distributors and processing units in organic farming has raised
89% in 2006 from 27% in 2005. The most impressive results are posted by export
sector in the time span of 2004 to 2006. Italian exports jumped to 487% with UK
(140%) and Germany (112%) being the highest exporting countries. Organic products
export to countries outside EU hiked with 66.7%.

Around 45,000 cultivators, over 4500 processing units, and 185 importers make Italy
one of the most important and reputed names in the global organic food industry, at
the 5th rank after Australia, Argentina, China, and US. Italy is the premier nation
worldwide in the organic production of grapes, olives, corn, and citrus.

In BioFach 2007, an international organic farming trade fair, Italy was named as
organic ‘Country of the Year’.

ICE said, “This recognition highlights the importance of organic farming in
Italy, a sector which has an annual turnover of €1.7 Billion with exports
valued at €700 Million”.

RNCOS report “European Organic Food Market” says that Italian organic
food market made total revenue of US$ 3.27 Billion in 2006, showing a CAGR of 5% for
the period 2002 to 2006. The market is expected to grow actively with a projected
CAGR of 5.98% during the period 2007 to 2011 and is likely to touch the mark of US$
4.39 Billion by 2011 end.

The market research report discusses the position (like number of inhabitants,
organic sales, market penetration, percentage of organic area & personal disposable
income) of Italy in European organic market. It gives a rational analysis on
industry analysis, consumer behavior, government support, and future forecast of the
Italian market alongwith other markets of Europe. Apart from this, international
standards, EU regulations on organic farming, state regulations, and inspection and
certification bodies in different European countries have been discussed in detail.

About RNCOS E-Services Pvt Ltd.:

RNCOS, incorporated in the year 2002, is an industry research firm. It has a team of
industry experts who analyze data collected from credible sources. They provide
industry insights and analysis that helps corporations to take timely and accurate
business decision in today\'s globally competitive environment.

For more information visit: http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM0301.htm
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Contact Details = RNCOS E-Services Pvt Ltd.
Shushmul Maheshwari
Head of Business Development
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info@rncos.com