Meeting at Masaf promoted by the Undersecretary of State, Patrizio La Pietra, first important occasion
Forward with a new national plan for the olive oil sector and policies, supported by adequate resources, which recognize the challenges faced by the sector between climate and phytosanitary emergencies, risk of abandonment of the fields and the urgency of reorganizing and innovating. Thus Cia-Italian Farmers at the end of the meeting promoted, at Masaf, by the Undersecretary of State, Patrizio Giacomo La Pietra, preliminary to the review of an almost ten-year strategy and the establishment of the sector table.
And, therefore, from the national president of Cia, Cristiano Fini, and of Italia Olivicola, Gennaro Sicolo, thanks to undersecretary La Pietra for the attention paid to the sector and, above all, for the organization of work, already oriented towards the next steps and interventions to reduce production costs.
The commitment to actively contribute to the construction of the plan is confirmed, aware of the priorities from which to start again. We need to incentivize national production through a restructuring and modernization action of existing olive-growing systems, which should also be strengthened with additional, more innovative structures capable of enhancing the variety heritage and orography of the Italian territory. Furthermore, the input of practices and technological solutions is necessary to protect the water resource, stabilize yields, preserve quality, but also the income of producers.
A sector is in difficulty and today sadly has to deal with at least 200 thousand hectares of olive groves in a state of total abandonment and over 300 thousand at risk of survival (data from Centro Studi Italia Olivicola). According to Cia, the trend must be reversed before not only the agricultural production potential is compromised, but also the vitality of rural areas. In this regard, ample space must be given to research, in particular with respect to Xylella and, therefore, to the need to regenerate compromised areas and effectively protect unaffected ones. Closing the circle is the fundamental link represented by the role of Producer Organizations (POs) and the need to arrive at a single inclusive and representative inter-profession.
