The secretary of the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for peppers from Murcia and chairman and advisor of the Coato cooperative, José Luis Hernández, stated that 94% of the pepper that is sold from Murcia comes from China and Peru, and that only a small part of the product is certified as it complies with the quality parameters governing the DO. He added that the PDO peppers from Murcia's Control Board became part of the Spanish Association Designations of Origin: Origen España.
With an annual production of around 500 tons certified under the PDO peppers from Murcia seal, José Luis Hernández regretted that many companies in the region are importing up to 32 million kilos of peppers mainly from China and Peru and later marketing them as if they had the PDO pepper from Murcia seal. "Joining Origen España means we have the opportunity, along with other designations of origin, to uphold the product's prestige and its link to the land where the peppers from Murcia is cultivated," remarked the secretary of the PDO.
Recognized as one of the areas that produce most of the peppers that are consumed in the Spanish market and in Europe, the region of Murcia has been supplying this product since the nineteenth century, the source added. The control structure certifies that the peppers from Murcia is obtained by traditional methods such as manual collection or drying in the sun.
Source: Laverdad.es