After five years , Pesca di Verona regains its PGI recognition: a fundamental step was taken on 28 June with Decree no. 0337590 through which the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests has conferred on CSQA the task of certifying body.
The Pesca di Verona had obtained the PGI in 2000, but in the following twenty years the area dedicated to cultivation was reduced by over 3000 hectares to just over 1200 hectares in 2022 (-5.5% compared to 2021). In Veneto, where Veronese production represents 85% of the entire region, the drop was as much as 6.9%.
There are various causes for the decline , such as the Sharka virus (Plum pox virus) which since 1990 has caused damage for millions of euros in our province, but also the replacement of the plants with the more profitable cultivation of kiwi (a crop now in crisis due to the death that has decimated the plants) or, again, the heavy competition from producers further south, both in Italy and abroad, such as Spain.
2018 was the year in which, in the absence of adhesions from the producers, the brand was revoked.
Until in 2021 Coldiretti Verona decided to intervene to save the still active peach orchards from uprooting.
With the establishment of the "Verona peach" working group, in 2022 it gave voice and body to the needs dictated by companies that still believe in Veronese peach cultivation.
The team is working on the revision of the production disciplinary , which is now unsuitable for current crops: just think that the varietal list dates back to 1995. The cancellation of some varieties that are no longer on the market and the inclusion of new and more suitable ones is one of the first steps to take.
"In this phase - the President of Coldiretti Verona Alex Vantini intervenes - there is a lack of an experimental fruit and vegetable center in our province that can give concrete answers to our fish farmers, directing them towards quality and commercially successful varietal choices".
“With the assignment of the controller role to the CSQA – continues Vantini – an extremely important step has been taken because finally now it is possible to restore an identity to a product that represents us both historically and culturally. Now we expect producers to have the right economic recognition”.
Now the Peach of Verona produced by the six companies that have applied for certification will be able to boast the PGI brand again after five years.
The next step will be the re-establishment of the Protection Consortium.
Pesca di Verona, after five years regains the PGI brand