Czech’s Green Party Aims to Help the Organic Food Sector

The Green Party (ZS) has been elected to the Czech Parliament for the first time - and promised to push policies that further the organic agenda. As Tomáš Zídek, the Party’s spokesman, states, biodiversity and public health will be promoted. Organic business needs to be developed and organic marketing initiatives need to be supported. One of the Party’s ideas is to educate school and kindergarten children.

According to a recent report of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), organic production covers 260,120 hectares of land in almost 840 organic farms, accounting for just over 6 % of total agricultural land. The rise in production can partly be attributed to subsidization of organic farms. Also, foreign trade has also increased substantially. Many people, however, are put off by high prices. Organic food is on average 30 to 40 % more expensive than non-organic alternatives, reports the Czech Business Weekly. Tomáš Zídek acknowledged that price remained a factor. Consumers should be informed. Young, educated consumers who could afford to pay more for organic food should be the target group.

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