Italy is the European and world leader for the production of organic wine, according to a report drawn up for the 16th congress of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), which opens here on Tuesday.
Italy has 34,000 hectares of vineyards dedicated to the production of organic wine, out of a total of 80,000 worldwide.
In Europe, France is the second biggest producer with 19,000 hectares followed by Spain with 16,000 hectares while Germany is a distant fourth with 2,800 hectares earmarked for organic wine production.
According to the IFOAM report, Italy is number five in the world and first in Europe for producing organic foods, which take up 1.147 million hectares of the country's farmland.
Australia has the most land dedicated to growing organic products (11.8 million hectares) followed by Argentina (three million), China (2.2 million) and the United States (1.6 million).
TheRE are 51,000 organic farmers in Italy who produce a turnover of 2.2 billion euros.
This year's IFOAM conference runs until June 20 and is dedicated to the theme of 'Cultivating the Future.
Taking part will be such renowned experts as Indian physicist Vandana Shiva, United Nations Environment Program Director General Achim Steiner and organic farming pioneer Howard-Yana Shapiro.
Also attending will be Ethiopian scientist Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, Bolivian President Evo Morales, French economist Serge Latouche and the director of the Wuppertal Institute for the Climate and the Environment, Wolfgang Sachs.
