After years of difficulty, the decline in nectarine cultivated areas has stopped in Emilia Romagna since 2024. The signs are positive, according to the findings of Cso Italy which has been preparing the regional fruit and vegetable register annually since 1998. “Today Emilia Romagna – declares Elisa Macchi – director of Cso Italy – boasts approximately 4,800 hectares in production of nectarines and 1,700 hectares of peaches, therefore expressing an important role in the national panorama. Emilia Romagna is the first producing region of nectarines, with approximately 25% of the total”.
The situation in Southern Italy is different – underlines Macchi -, with a reversal of trend compared to the growth of the past and annual declines of the order of 4% per year. In the South, compared to 10 years ago, the drop in surfaces is over 20%. In recent years, however, in Emilia Romagna there has been a good turnover which has favored late-maturing varieties, with a better distributed calendar and less sensitive to overproduction.
It is in this context that the production of Romagna PGI peaches and nectarines and the launch of the new commercial and communication campaign, which began on June 27 with a presentation event organized by the Consortium for the Protection and Valorization in Cesenatico as part of the activities of the promotional project financed by the Emilia Romagna Region, take place.
Paolo Pari, President of the Consortium for the Protection and Promotion of the Romagna Nectarine Peach, highlights the importance of its notoriety. “The product/territory link with Romagna peaches and nectarines is very strong. The data is around 70% of people who associate peaches and nectarines with the Protected Geographical Indication. This data makes us aware – continues Pari – of the fact that there is room for growth in terms of volumes produced and marketed, especially at a time like the current one, where localism is a value recognized by the consumer”.
The characteristics that identify Romagna PGI peaches and nectarines are: the restricted geographical origin, which refers to a delimited area of Romagna; the cultivation methods according to which producers are required to follow practices that favor product quality and environmental protection which also include integrated or biological defence. The organoleptic quality required to be regulated in terms of caliber or sugar content at harvest.
The communication campaign puts producers in the foreground. The stories, difficulties and daily challenges of PGI producers will also be the subject of a 10-episode audio and video podcast dedicated to Romagna PGI peaches and nectarines.
