After at least three years of production difficulties, the Consortium for the Protection and Valorisation of Romagna PGI Peaches and Nectarines will officially launch the commercial campaign on 27 June 2024 with a launch event in Cesenatico, Maritime Museum, at 10am.
The 2024 campaign starts with a promotion project carried out as part of the Development Plan of the Emilia-Romagna Region, which will continue until 2025. An important support for the producer members of the Consortium: Apoconerpo, Apofruit, Granfrutta ZANI, AOP Italia, Orogel Fresco, Minguzzi Spa Consortile, Tozzi Frutta, Zavoli srl, Consorzio Ortofrutticolo di Romagna, Consorzio Agribologna.
The Protection and Valorisation Consortium represents, with its social base, a certified area of 921 hectares and the total marketable PGI product of 12,040 tonnes.
This year, the campaign will start with the new early varieties foreseen by the PGI production regulations renewed by the European Union in 2023, already available for consumption, from the month of June. The medium varieties will then follow, starting from the beginning of July and the late ones which arrive until mid-September, all included in the specifications for their organoleptic and gustatory characteristics typical of the PGI certified production area.
The Production Regulations for PGI Romagna Peaches and Nectarines provide rigorous rules to guarantee the quality and authenticity of the product, that include:
- Restricted geographical origin: Production is limited to a specific area of Romagna, taking advantage of the particular climatic conditions and suitable soil which contribute to giving peaches and nectarines those unique characteristics of juiciness and flavour.
- Cultivation methods: Producers are required to follow agricultural practices that favor product quality and environmental protection such as fertilization, irrigation, integrated or biological pest management.
- Organoleptic quality: All peaches and nectarines must pass the quality requirements at harvest before being marketed under the PGI mark. This includes respecting the ripening parameters determined by the sugar content (9° brix for the early ones and 11° brix for the medium late ones) and minimum dimensions (67 mm of caliber and a minimum weight of 137 g.) ensuring that only the better fruits reach the consumer.
The President of the Consortium, Paolo Pari, "With the new PGI Production Regulations which is not just a set of rules, but a promise of quality and sustainability that we make to our consumers and with the communication support created thanks to the support of the Emilia Romagna Region and the Members, we will return to being noticed on the market by trying to consolidate the trust and loyalty of our customers and to protect the great historical legacy of Romagna peaches and nectarines" .
With an annual production of around 200,000 tonnes, Emilia-Romagna confirms itself at the top for production in Italy, reaching 20% of the national total which this year, according to the first CSO Italy estimates, will slightly exceed 970,000 tonnes.
For more information:
Romagna PGI
www.pescanettarinadiromagna.it