Italy has been named organic 'Country of the Year' at the recent BioFach international organic farming trade fair.

The European country beat the likes of Argentina, Australia, China and the US to scoop the top accolade.

"This recognition highlights the importance of organic farming in Italy, a sector which has an annual turnover of 1.7bn euros with exports valued at 700m euros," the Italian Foreign Trade Institute (ICE) said.

ICE figures show that more than 50,000 farms in Italy are dedicated to organic farming, with the southern regions of Sicily and Puglia home to 30 per cent of these.

Nuremburg, in Germany, was crowned organic farming 'City of the Year' at the BioFach trade fair.

At BioFach 2007, held in Nuremburg between February 15-18, over 2,100 exhibitors from more than 70 countries were on show.

The global market for organic products reached a value of 25.5bn euros in 2005, with the vast majority of products being consumed in North America and Europe, figures from market research firm Organic Monitor show.

For 2006, the value of the global organic market is expected to break through the 30bn euros barrier.

Healthy growth rates are expected to continue in the coming years, Organic Monitor said.