OREANDA-NEWS. August 26, 2009. “Organic farming forms a uniform chain and here, in Estonia, such a chain does not exist at present. We do know what organic production is and want to use these methods for production, but the chain is interrupted either during processing or at some other link of the chain,” said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in Tartu, where he spoke at an international scientific organic farming conference, reported the Official website president.ee.

Statistical agricultural information on Estonia shows that organic produce contributes 10% of total production volumes right now. However, only 0.2% of the total output is marketed under the organic produce label.

The small Estonian market and the limited scope of economies of sale do not facilitate the emergence of alternatives aside from the traditional production chains. This is even more apparent now, when even producers who exercise conventional methods are voicing concern about economic problems,” relayed president Ilves.

“The co-operation of producers in the sphere of processing and marketing is definitely one of the keys to the successful development of organic production,” stressed the Head of State. “In this regard, I’d like to invite all small enterprises to contribute to this co-operation. I’m also pleased that Estonia is planning to channel some funds for the development of co-operative activities, under the Rural Development Plan, this year.”

According to President Ilves, up until now, organic production and, in particular, the processing and marketing of organic produce have been regarded as luxuries.

“The shared goal of us, politicians, and you, researchers, is therefore to ensure a situation in which organic production as the most beneficial for health would no longer belong to the category of ‘luxury’,” said the Head of State. “How can it be a luxury if we don’t consume preservatives, agricultural chemicals, etc.? What could be more expensive, at the end of the day, than the health of ourselves and our children? Being healthy can’t be a luxury in the developed 21st century world.”