By Nino Sangerardi:
The Regional Council has approved the Program concerning the promotion of quality Apulian agri-food products and food education, three-year period 2024-2026.
The expected expenditure is 7,950,000.00 euros: 2,650,000.00 euros in 2024, 2,650,000.00 euros in 2025 and 2,650,000.00 euros in 2026.
Project objectives? Enhance and advertise Apulian agri-food products at a regional, national and international level, with priority to those belonging to the “Quality Products – Quality Guaranteed by the Puglia Region” brand; promote regional food and wine using e-commerce and social-commerce platforms by providing “literacy actions for regional stakeholders, use of new technologies and new communication and sales languages”.
Consolidate the PUGLIA brand identity, especially in its food and wine declination with co-branding programs and bilateral cooperation with national and international partners; promote issues relating to gender equality, the safety and health of operators in the agricultural sector and quality agri-food production.
The activities to be carried out include the acquisition of spaces and exhibition areas and institutional areas to be allocated to agri-food companies relating to exhibitions and events in Italy and abroad, incoming actions for buyers and journalists to be carried out in Puglia, food and wine tours aimed at to the public of enthusiasts organized on themes that are of particular importance for food and wine tourism and oil tourism, workshops and editorial products and conferences and laboratories with the purpose of nutrition and the Mediterranean diet as well as training and safety at work in the agricultural and agri-food sector.
Furthermore, support for annual or biennial festivals, fairs and events for the promotion of Apulian products, culture and traditional culinary preparations and development of the local entrepreneurial economic fabric; communication works on the main national and international mass media such as press, TV and social networks through TV commercials, promotional videos, podcasts and any other dissemination tool.
The beneficiaries of the Program are public bodies, public administrations, associations, Pro-loco, Foundations, agricultural and agri-food companies, schools of all types and levels, the network of educational farms, economic operators, etc.
The selection of the interventions and the assignment of the expected economic contributions will take place on the basis of the following criteria: clarity and descriptive completeness of the initiative and coherence of the projects, reliability of the proposing entity, containment of expenditure on realistic levels as deduced from a detailed cost plan, ability to aggregate between the greatest possible number of subjects in the territory.
A designated commission will take care of drawing up a specific ranking, indicating the proposals that can be financed.
