PGI Alto Viterbese potatoes have been recorded in the Official Journal of the European Union L 52/5 of 21st February 2014. FreshPlaza asked Mirko Giuliani from
C.C.OR.A.V. for some information about the product."This type of potato is cultivated in the Alto Viterbese area, which is characterised by volcanic soil rich in chemical elements, and potassium in particular. This leads to the production of regular potatoes with a smooth skin and rich in starch and dry matter."
"The varieties cultivated are Monalisa, Ambra, Agata, Vivaldi, Finka, Marabel, Agria, Chopin, Universa and Arizona. Producers must comply with the cultivation techniques included in the specifications."
The area includes the Grotte di Castro, Onano, San Lorenzo Nuovo and Acquapendente municipality for a total of 100 hectares producing around 4,000 tons of produce.
The produce is usually sold between September and May but "because of heavy rain in February, sowing is going to be a couple of weeks late."
PGI mark: what are the advantages?
"The PGI mark enables us to enter new markets because the produce is now guaranteed. Before getting it, we had to deal with counterfeits, because produce from abroad was sold as originating from our area."
"In 2012/13, the mark enabled us to grow from both a commercial and an organisational point of view, so we hope to increase the production."
Until now, Alto Viterbese PGI potatoes were only sold domestically, but "we can now sell them all over Europe, which is our future objective. We sell it in 2, 2.5 and 5 kg verbags and we have designed a special packaging for the PGI product."
Contacts:
Mirko Giuliani
Email: ufficiotecnico@ccorav.it
C.C.OR.A.V. - Consorzio Cooperativo Ortofrutticolo Alto Viterbese
Loc. Salcinella s.n.c.
01025 Grotte di Castro (VT)
Tel.: (+39) 0763 796117
Fax: (+39) 0763 796017
Email: ccorav@ccorav.it
Web: www.ccorav.it