Protein crops

Market situation and potential<-strong><-span><-span><-p>

Beans, peas, lentils, soy beans and other protein crops are subsidiary elements in the Swiss organic selection in terms of value and quantity. The significance of this segment in completing the range is great and should not be underestimated. The principal purchaser of protein crops is the processing industry. The market situation for protein crops is permanently good, with modest annual sales growth. The opportunities for development are limited since annual sales growth is unlikely to rise above 10 percent and is thus below the general growth rate of the organic market in Switzerland.<-span><-span><-p>

Significance and sources of imports<-strong><-span><-span><-p>

The import share is extremely high in this product group, as domestic production is difficult due to climatic reasons:<-span><-span><-p>

•The relative small domestic production of organic soy in Switzerland is used for human consumption due to the high prices that can be achieved on the market. Soy for fodder is 100 percent imported from Italy, China, Romania, Brazil, Canada, Austria and Germany.<-span><-span><-p>

•Field beans are imported mainly from Germany, protein peas from Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Romania, Hungary and Canada.<-span><-span><-p>

•Lupins and peas are primarily imported from Hungary, the USA, Canada, Brazil and Argentina.<-span><-span><-p>

Policy and trade environment<-strong><-span><-span><-p>

International supply is increasing but Swiss demand remains modest. This means that despite good general conditions (no duties or special regulations), Switzerland as a national market is not of great interest for protein crops.<-span><-span><-p>

Problems and wishes of market operators<-strong><-span><-span><-p>

The overriding problem is the low consumption of protein crops in Switzerland. With the new regulation in animal feeding (100 percent organic fodder in animal feed) the demand for organic protein crops increased in the last years, but not substantially.<-span><-span><-p>