The marketing campaign of the PGI red orange of Sicily is underway.
The citrus fruit known throughout the world for its unique organoleptic and nutraceutical properties will arrive on greengrocers' stalls, on those of large-scale retail trade and on Italian tables as early as Christmas, thanks to the positive influence of Etna on its ripening.
"We very often mention Etna as an indispensable natural element for the maturation of the PGI blood orange of Sicily, which guarantees its protection - says the president Gerardo Diana who, to start the campaign, made an ascent to the summit of the volcano starting on foot from the Sapienza refuge, which is located at an altitude of 1,910 meters - and this year I wanted to pay homage, on behalf of the entire Consortium, to our great volcano which, with its sudden and never predictable temperature changes, manages to give color to the oranges grown with care and love over three seasons. We work nine months to get to have a perfect fruit - he adds - but without the help of nature all our efforts would be in vain. So with this symbolic gesture, which we would like to become a tradition,I wanted to thank Etna and reciprocate its positive influence by spreading the images of its incomparable beauty".
The season of the PGI Sicilian blood orange, starting this year in the top 5 of the most widespread and appreciated fresh fruit and vegetable products in Italy, launched today with the marketing of the dark orange will come alive in late January, with the arrival of the tarot red and will end in spring with the sweet blood orange.
More than 400 producers, 62 packers and 3 intermediaries are members of the consortium.
There are 270 authorized labels and 6,000 registered hectares.
In the 2021/22 campaign, the product certified and put on sale is 30,000 tonnes of PGI Blood Orange of Sicily, for a value of 40 million euros.
The product is present on the shelves of large-scale distribution only for four months of the year.
