Consumers increased their preferences for buying organic products this year.

The Australian Organic Market Report (AOMR) 2010 expects a retail sales figure for organics to reach more than $1 billion. The expected amount is twice the amount reached in 2008.

A total of $623 million in retail sales was reported for 2008. The market report shows organic producers to have increased by four to five percent a year.

Likewise, the AOMR shows about a 40 percent increase in households that bought organic produce in the past 12 months. The figure of households this year is around 60 percent.

For 2010, a rise of 16.5 percent was noted in wine production, while the sales for milk and dairy products climbed by 36 percent. A 75 percent growth was seen in organic egg production.

In the last two years, the demand for organic essential oils hiked to 155 percent. The oils have been increasingly popular for cosmetics. The report also shows unchanged figures for organic wool products.

The University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, North South Wales independently conducted the AOMR for this year. The Biological farmers of Australia (BFA) commissioned the research.

Funding for the report is largely from Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL). State Governments and organic businesses provided much needed support in data gathering.