Northeastern Brazil is the new frontier of organic agriculture.

For the first time since the beginning of the historical series analyzed by the Brazilian Organic Observatory, the number of registered organic production units in the country has decreased. Data from the National Registry of Organic Producers shows that Brazil went from 25,178 production units in 2025 to 23,728 in 2026, a reduction of 1,450 producers, equivalent to 5.7%. However, the analysis carried out by agricultural engineer Rogério Dias, coordinator of the Brazilian Organic Observatory at the Brazilian Organic Institute, reveals that the drop does not necessarily represent a weakening of Brazilian organic agriculture. The main factor was the departure of large certified groups of extractivists linked to specific production chains in Pará and Maranhão. Together, the two states accounted for more than 1,800 fewer registrations in the National Registry. "The numbers show that we are not facing a crisis in organic agriculture. What has occurred is a movement concentrated in extractive chains organized in collective certifications. When a company stops maintaining the certification of a group, hundreds of producers simultaneously leave the registry," explains Rogério Dias, Advisor to IBO. Despite the national reduction, Paraná remains the state with the largest number of organic producers in the country, with 4,292 registered units. Following are Rio Grande do Sul (3,158), Bahia (1,895), São Paulo (1,632), and Pará (1,512). Several northeastern states registered significant expansion in organic production. The biggest highlights were: Paraíba, with growth of 246 production units; Bahia with an increase of 209 producers; Rio Grande do Norte with 169 new units; and Pernambuco with growth of 137 producers. In Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte, organic cotton appears as one of the main drivers of expansion. In Bahia, growth is driven by productive diversification and the strengthening of the Rede Povos da Mata (Peoples of the Forest Network), a national benchmark in participatory certification. Another historical finding of the survey is the change in the profile of Brazilian organic certification. In 2026, Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) reached 9,788 production units, surpassing for the first time certification by audit, which fell to 8,855 registrations. According to the Observatory's analysis, this change demonstrates the strengthening of collective and territorial models of producer organization, especially in northeastern states. For Rogério Dias, the data reinforces the need to strengthen and expand regional coordination to monitor trends, identify bottlenecks, and support the sustainable growth of the sector. "The moment demands a more in-depth reading of the data. There are clear signs of territorial reorganization of Brazilian organic production, with new regions gaining prominence and new certification models showing expansion capacity," he concludes. 

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.