VENEZUELA
Location
Venezuela is located to the north of South America. The country
shares its borders with Guyana to the west; Brazil to the south;
Colombia to the west; and the Caribbean Sea to the north. Venezuela
has a total land area of 912,050 sq km. Climate is mostly tropical
but less so in area of higher altitude.
Agricultural sector
Venezuela's top 10 agricultural products are whole fresh cow
milk, indigenous cattle meat, wheat, tomatoes, fresh vegetables,
grapes, watermelons, hen eggs, sheep milk and maize.
Brief overview of organic farming
There are 2,441 hectares of organic land in Venezuela and
approximately 4 organic farms operating in the country. Organic
land makes up 0.01% of the country's arable land. Most organic
products which are consumed in the domestic market, are imported,
as the country has not yet developed its processing standards for
organic products. The country's organic products are mainly
exported to the USA and the EU. Amongst the different actors in
Venezuela's organic market are private organizations, national
research and education organizations, as well as government
institutions.
Brief overview of key organic products
Organic products include coffee, cocoa, banana, fruits, medicinal
plants, macadamia nut, cassava, honey, herbs and spices. Some
biscuits are also produced organically.
The network
National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) is one of the main
agencies responsible for the establishment of producer
organizations.
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas
Sede Administrativa. Av. Universidad
Via El Limón. Frente a la Zona Educativa
Maracay
Venezuela 2103
Tel.: 0243-2404911
Website: www.ceniap.gov.ve
References
- CIA FactBook, 31.05.07 - https://www.cia.gov
- FAO, 24.10.2006: Key Statistics of Food and Agriculture External
Trade. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), Statistics Division - http://www.fao.org/es/ess/top/country.html?lang=en
- Yussefi, Minou and Willer, Helga, Eds.: The World of Organic
Agriculture: Statistics and emerging trends