“The productions with the mark of origin have a fundamental importance for the economy of Sardinia. There are important margins for expansion on the Italian domestic market, but at the same time it is necessary to strengthen the orientation towards the foreign market ”. Thus the regional councilor for agriculture, Gabriella Murgia , spoke in Sestu in a seminar dedicated "to the enhancement of local specialties and innovative eco-sustainable initiatives in the agricultural field".
“In Sardinia - underlines Murgia - the food and wine heritage boasts the recognition of 42 quality products : 6 DOP and 2 IGP in the agri-food sector and as many as 33 DOP in the wine sector. The investigations are also underway for the IGP recognition for the Sebadas of Sardinia and for the Dop for the 'Pane Coccoi' . For the latter, the offices are working to issue the opinion by July ".
"The role played by the Pecorino Romano PDO in the regional agricultural economy is well known - the commissioner points out - but also the other PDOs have a very high growth potential . It is worth underlining that Sardinia holds the Italian record in terms of number of operators involved in the "Dop economy" in the fresh meat and cheese sector. Quality, link with the territory and food safety are requisites that characterize the products made in Sardinia, requested and appreciated by the consumer. The Region of Sardinia is investing heavily in strengthening the link between product and territory, starting from the great offer of agri-food and wine-growing excellence with territorial enhancement projects through coordinated actions ".
On this front, the Region has activated the “MenSarda” project. "We strongly believe in this initiative - explains Murgia - that we are carrying out with the Association of Sardinian Municipalities to promote zero kilometer public canteens , raise awareness of the conscious consumption of agricultural products and help create collective awareness of the local agri-food heritage, with interventions aimed at maintaining the vitality and social identity of rural areas, preserving the cultural heritage and safeguarding habitats. It is an important step towards true food sovereignty ”.
The pandemic, adds the commissioner Murgia, “has highlighted the weaknesses of the long supply chain, and this is why the Region is investing in the enhancement of local circuits . In particular, with sub-measure 16.4 of the 2014-2020 PSR, cooperation between farms and other subjects in the agri-food chain was encouraged, aimed at the creation and development of short supply chains and local markets, also through their local promotion. With this measure, about 20 cooperation groups have been financed which are involving about 400 companies for a total amount of aid of more than 3 million euros ”.
The protection and enhancement of quality products are among the priorities pursued by the Region with various support measures. In 2022, with the resumption in the presence of Vinitaly , the participation of the Collective Sardinia was financed with 71 wineries . In the last two years, approximately 1 million euro has been allocated for information and promotion actions for DOP / IGP carried out by the consortia for the protection of recognized quality designations. Furthermore, 400 thousand euros have been allocated to support Sardinian companies for participation in sector fairs and for information actions on quality products.
“Our goal - adds the commissioner - is to favor the correct information of consumers and public opinion on the value of certified products with information campaigns and defend brands from counterfeiting with appropriate regulations and through information campaigns. In this context, the protection Consortia, which are the real pillars for the promotion and protection of certified products and Dop-Igp food quality regimes, also play a role of enormous importance ".
NEW RESOURCES - With the Rural Development Program, additional resources were also assigned in the transition period towards the new 2021-2023 programming for information and promotion activities for quality agricultural and food products carried out in EU countries by protection consortia and producer associations, for which there will soon be a new call for the measure with an allocation of 800 thousand euros. The farms were then supported for 1.5 million euros through the reimbursement of certification costs for participation in quality schemes with annual calls: the one for the year 2022 is in the process of being published.
As part of the 2014-2020 RDP, new measures were also introduced to support innovative interventions for a more efficient and eco-sustainable productivity of Sardinian agriculture. In particular, the sub-measure was activated for the establishment of the operational groups (Go) of the European Partnership for innovation "Productivity and sustainability of agriculture" (Pei), which favors cooperation between farmers, researchers, consultants and companies working in the agricultural, food and forestry sectors.
“The operational groups carry out projects with an available budget of 500 thousand euros aimed at finding innovative solutions to specific problems that have emerged from the territory and which contribute to the pursuit of objectives and priorities of rural development. More than 10 million euros have been allocated for this measure ”, concludes the commissioner Murgia.
(Unioneonline / vl)