The subject of this year's Organic Marketing Forum (OMF) was „Transparency and Credibility as selling points to customers ". This subject appeared in many statements and during many discussions. At the opening of the meeting Andrzej Butra, the Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture stressed the importance of the control system for the credibility of organic production and promised further support to the organic sector. Andrzej Hałasiewicz, adviser to Polish President Bronisław Komorowski stressed the importance of organic agriculture for rural development. Bernhard Jansen, Chairman of EkoConnect - International Centre for Organic Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe, the main organizer of the meeting, in his welcome speech urged to ensure that consumer confidence should be seen as the supreme good and the answer to this demand is the truthfullness of organic products and its high quality. Bernhard Jansen said: "Our aim must not be a rapid, but rather a sustainable growth of organic markets."
The specialist presentations of the Forum, most of which were held by entrepreneurs, discussed current organic issues and ways to achieve even better cooperation in the organic community. In this way, Andreas Wenning from Rapunzel stressed the responsibility for entire value chain as a condition for sustainability and he appreciated the efforts to build organic domestic markets in Central and Eastern Europe. Janez Cretnik, the owner of the wholesaler Medicor from Slovenia, serving 250 customers with catering services, noted, the large market opportunities in the catering sector in the former countries of Yugoslavia. Ionut Teglas from the Romanian wholesaler and retailer Leacul showed in various examples, how the cooperation with neighboring countries of Romania can be successful.
Especially the workshops at the Forum attracted particular interests, during which 10 countries from Central and Eastern Europe were presented with their leading organic companies. It turned out that countries such as Poland, Czech Republic, Baltic States, Romania and Hungary have made great progress in further building up the domestic processing and retailing sector and that they are not just suppliers of raw materials any more, rather they developed to suppliers of competitive organic food and have also interesting domestic sales markets for organic products. Also in Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the Balkan countries, there are now functioning wholesale and retail structures and growing sales in the local markets. Of particular interest is the observation that more and more manufacturers and traders from Central and Eastern Europe began to consider their own countries as important for selling and buying instead of just orienting on the European West.
Another workshop which attracted considerable interest was organized by the IFOAM EU Group. The subject was the set up of a working group of experts on processing of organic products and discussions of the directives on the production of organic food. Another workshop was about the strategies for further development of organic agriculture in Poland and activities for raising the consumer awareness for organic products.
During the Evening "Get-Together" for the first time the prize for the best organic stores in Poland (Organic-Polish-Point-of-Sales-Award) was awarded. Polish wholesalers and experts were part of the jury. The prize was awarded in four categories. Below is a list of winners:
A. Small organic shop in the category up to 55 qm:
I. Prize: Dary Natury, Kraków, ul. Krakowska 21
II. Prize: Eko-Chata, Toruń, ul. Szosa Chełmińska 141
III Prize: Oreganic Farma Zdrowia, Wola Park, Warsaw, ul. Górczewska 124
B. Large organic shop in the category over 55 qm:
I. Prize: Smak Natury, Warsaw, Al. Ken 19, lok 1,
II. Prize: Organic Farma Zdrowia, Warsaw, Arkadia, ul. Jana Pawła II 82
III Prize: Przedsiebiorstwo Konekol, Bydgoszcz, ul. Polanka 26
C. Supermarket with organic offer
I. Price: Spolem, Warsaw, ul. Nowy Świat 53
II 2. Prize: K & M Delikatesy, Warsaw, ul. Wspolna 24
III. Prize: Alma Mark, Kraków, ul. Pilotów 6
D. Special award: best Polish retail chain of organic products
I Prize Organic Farma Zdrowia; Warsaw
Two II prizes FREE, Warsaw, and Żółty Cesarz, Warsaw
The prize for the best organic product "Best of Organic" was awarded by the visitors of the exhibition of the OMF. This year it was awarded to the cheese producer Heuvland of the Republic of Moldova for his yellow herbal cheese "Queen". The second prize went to Yogi's Tee GmbH of Germany for the tea, "Yogi Tee - ginger, orange, vanilla," and the third to the company AB Žemaitijos Pienas from Lithuania for Gouda-type cheese called "Dobilas".
On the third day of the Forum 3 different excursions took place, which this year focused on organic farms, processing companies and retailers as well as an experimental farm with demonstration fields.
The organizer of the OMF is EkoConnect – International Centre for Organic Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe. Partners are: the producers association “Polska Ekologia“, the Organic Farming Association „Ekoland“, the Polish Advisory Centre CDR and the Organic Retailers Association (ORA). In addition for the first time OMF was organized in close cooperation with BioFach World Organic Trade Fair. The Forum takes place under the patronage of the Polish Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development and the IFOAM EU Group.
Further information on Organic Marketing Forum you find at www.organic-marketing-forum.org
