Regional Government marks European Organic Day - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação

The Regional Government, through the entities under the administration of the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food, marks European Organic Day, which is being celebrated today, September 23, with an exhibition of organic vegetables, fruit, honey and dairy products and a showcooking event with tastings of various delicacies prepared with organic products.

This initiative will take place at Portas da Cidade in Ponta Delgada until 3 pm. It is aimed at the general public and anyone with an interest in learning more about this subject, seeing that the goal is to raise awareness of organic farming and its role in respecting nature, sustainability and animal welfare.

In addition to this initiative, the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food recalled that the applications to support Organic Production Mode Certification are open until October 25, "a measure focused on mechanisms to enhance the quality of products using organic methods."

António Ventura pointed out the "increase in both the number of organic producers and the total area under organic farming and conversion."

"We currently have 216 organic producers on eight of the archipelago's nine islands and 5,764.973 hectares of organic farming production and in conversion, the highest number of hectares recorded since 2019. This proves the strong growth in organic farming production and consumers in the Azores," he emphasised.

The Secretary for Agriculture also highlighted "the significant increase in public investment in this measure, which, according to the data available, has risen from around 154 thousand Euros in 2018 to more than one million euros in 2024."

"We have increasingly become a Region that produces organic products and this is also evident in the strong participation registered in the training activities promoted by the Regional Directorate for Agriculture and Food. This means we are heading towards our goal of making the Region known for a more natural diet," says António Ventura.

The European Organic Day is a joint initiative of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. It is marked on September 23 as it falls on the day of the autumn equinox when day and night are equal in length, making it the most appropriate day to symbolise the balance between agriculture and the environment, everything that organic production should be.

The event seeks to encourage sustainable agriculture in which food is produced in harmony with nature, biodiversity and animal welfare.