Monday, August 29, 2016

Get Swedish ekoäpplen in stores – Göteborgs-Posten



For the äppelsugne with environmental thinking, the choice is often between a conventionally grown Swedish apple and organically grown fruit imports. Stock Photography. Photo: DRAGO Prvulovic, TT

Sweden Fancy a ekoäpple? Then you usually have to make do with the import of fruit. Around 98 percent of ekoäpplena of some of the largest supermarket chains are imported.

What speaks for the Swedish ekoäpplet is the great demand, but so far the market share is minimal. At ICA, Coop and Axfood is only between nine and 14 percent of all sold apples organically grown and about 98 percent of ekoäpplena is imported.

But the number of Swedish organic apple growers grow.

I think it’s really exciting, it’s a super challenge. You have to be one step ahead all the time, says Martha Johansson, who along with her husband Donald grow organically in Ramdala in eastern Blekinge.



Long takeoff

The delivery time for new tree seedlings two years and then it will take another five years before the trees gives full harvest. The long-off distance can be one of the reasons that so far there are so few organic apple growers in Sweden.

Joacim Holgersson, who grow ekoäpplen outside Lidköping, points to more reasons: It is more expensive to hire in Sweden than in competitor countries, and in ekoodlingen is the hands of a man who shall instead of spraying.

soap and baking soda

the permitting process for the innocuous preparations ekoodlarna use is another area where Swedish growers work uphill battle. Although it is about, for example, detergents, organic canola oil and baking soda requires the same procedure as for conventional growers. It is expensive and takes time.

Here are disadvantaged Swedish growers of the EU’s zoning – organic preparations are approved in other parts of Europe, where the large ekokonkurrenterna available, require separate approval in the northern zone, where Sweden is included.

politicians must help ekoodlarna, so that we can compete with our foreign competitors on equal terms, says Joacim Holgersson.



“Important to echo”

But what is the best for the environment, a conventionally grown apple from Sweden or ekoäpple from Italy or Chile?

Organic is best, regardless of origin, believes Emelie Hansson, expert of Nature Conservation. The transport distance is not decisive for the food’s climate impact. And it is an important signal to the Swedish growers of customers prioritize ecologically, she reasons.

But right now, in the autumn, we must take care of the apples in Swedish trägårdar, which unfortunately often rot away.

The Facts: Swedish Ekofrukt on the rise

Organic orchard is on the march in Sweden. The cultivated area has increased from 115 hectares 2009-185 hectares, 2015.

The most widely grown apple, but even small amounts of organic pears, plums and cherries.

Most organic orchards are small and sell primarily for the local market.

According to the Agriculture Department is a large demand for Swedish organic fruit, but there are several problems that must be solved to prepare the ground for ekoodlare. We need better methods to manage weeds and pests and to get higher and more consistent yield and quality.

Source: Agriculture

Background: High price and difficult handling

High price and difficult handling are some of the problems for the Swedish ekoäpplen, according to supermarket chains.

Coop believes demand for Swedish ekoäpplen which clearly exceeds the supply. Coop responds ekoäpplen for nine percent of total apple sales, of which two percent is from Sweden. Coop believes that the management of the Swedish range is difficult: “The availability varies greatly from week to week and from variety to variety. There are also requirements for the labeling of ekoäpplen, which can be a challenge for small producers to manage,” writes Coop in a responses to TT.

Ica, however, considers that there is no shortage: “the volume of Swedish ekoäpplen we get is spent. in the current situation corresponds to the supply to the demand, so there is no shortage.” In Ica was 14 percent of the apple sales last year, ecological and just 1.5 percent of the sold ekoäpplena was Swedish cultivated.

Axfood believes that the high price of Swedish ekoäpplen holding back sales. In addition, customers have a good eye for conventionally grown apples Swedish, points Axfood. At Axfood was ten percent of the apple organic sales last year and two percent of ekoäpplena was Swedish.

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