Consorzio di Tutela Ciliegia di Marostica IGP: “Impegno e sinergie per ampliare le opportunità di mercato” CSQA confermato per effettuare i controlli sulle oltre 40 tonnellate annue della filiera certificata
The Central Inspectorate for the Protection of Quality and Fraud Repression (ICQRF) of agri-food products of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (Masaf) has renewed the authorization, with Ministerial Decree, to CSQA to carry out checks for the Marostica PGI Cherries for the next three years.
The Ciliegia di Marostica PGI is a representative product of the rich basket of protected products of the Veneto region , a region that – exclusively in the food sector – can boast 36 PDO PGI products for an economic value of 433 million € generated by the work of 3,767 operators (Ismea-Qualivita 2022 Report Data).
The Ciliegia di Marostica PGI , the first cherry in Italy to have obtained the European PGI recognition mark over twenty years ago, currently has 112 operators divided into the 8 municipalities of the production area , for a chain of 40 tons of certified production which 85% is marketed as a fresh product while the remaining 15% is destined for the processed products industry.
The Consortium for the protection of Ciliegia di Marostica PGI is committed to safeguarding and promoting this excellence with the desire to increase the quality of the product and its recognition and diffusion on the market. Precisely with this in mind, the Consortium has recently obtained an important modification of the production disciplinary which provides, among other things, for the introduction of 10 new varieties with larger sizes that meet the growing demands of the market.
Furthermore, the Consortium's commitments include territorial enhancement activities in synergy with local institutions and bodies and support for businesses in the PGI supply chain through targeted interventions, for example, at simplifying bureaucracy.
The decision to reconfirm CSQA, the leading certification body in Italy for Geographical Indications, is dictated by the Consortium's desire to continue a path oriented towards the protection and evolution of PGI quality: " We are satisfied with the growth project that we are carrying out for the PGI Marostica Cherry, a symbolic product of our territory - declares the President of the Protection Consortium Giuseppe Zuech -. The recently obtained modification of the specification, in addition to representing an important evolution for the product, confirms the strong collaboration between local players which made it possible to obtain publication in the Official Gazette very quickly, less than 8 months in all. The support of the control body and local institutions encourages us to persevere in our commitment, aimed at supporting the operators in the supply chain and expanding the destination market of the Ciliegia di Marostica PGI ”.
“The Ciliegia di Marostica PGI was the first cherry in Italy to have obtained the European PGI recognition mark, starting its own path of protection and enhancement with CSQA. Our confirmation – underlines Pietro Bonato, General Manager and CEO of CSQA – is the result of this important and constant synergistic work on a product that is an expression of the land and of Veneto fruit and vegetable production”.
The Ciliegia di Marostica PGI confirms the value of the PDO PGI product portfolio certified by CSQA , which currently has 72 Geographical Indications : a fact that underlines the desire to increasingly accompany the development of quality agri-food supply chains, a symbol of Made in Italy and the vocation of the territories .