Organic food products in France saw historic growth in 2016, according to new information announced by Agence Bio, the French agency for the development and promotion of organic farming. The agency estimates that the organic market saw an increase of approximately 20% in the first semester of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, which was also a period that saw rapid growth. At the end of the year, the organic market should reach nearly 7 billion euros ($7.6 billion) in sales – an increase of more than 1 billion euros ($1 billion) in only one year.

Due to increasing interest, the organic industry has reached an historic number of consumers. According to a recent survey, 9 out of 10 French people regularly consume organic products at least on occasion, a significant increase from the 54% of French people who said the same thing in 2003. 65% say that they consume organic products on a regular basis, up from only 37% in 2003.

Supply is continuing to develop at a rapid pace to keep up with consumers’ voracious demands for new organic products that respect humans and nature. With such a great potential for economic gains, organic farmers are more and more numerous. More than 21 new organic farms were created each day in France during the first 6 months of 2016. On June 30, the number of French organic producers reached nearly 32,000. By the end of the year, Agence Bio estimated that the area devoted to organic agricultural production will exceed 1.5 million hectares (almost 4 million acres), approximately 6% of the agricultural surface of France.