The examination of the draft law for the regulation, promotion and valorisation of the activities of the horticultural sector begins in the Chamber of Deputies.
This is a bill, the first signatory being the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, which was combined with the bill signed by the leader of the Lega group in Montecitorio, Riccardo Molinari.
Among the measures envisaged in the text is that of committing the government to adopt one or more legislative decrees within 24 months of the approval of the measure to constitute "an organic regulatory framework regarding cultivation, promotion, marketing, valorisation and increase in quality and the use of products from the horticultural sector".
There is also talk of establishing an office within the Ministry to deal with national coordination, also providing policy measures for the sector and the development of a 'National Plan for the horticultural sector' as a "programmatic and strategic tool".
Said 'Plan' should deal with and identify actions to update the regulatory framework and also with regards to research, experimentation and technological innovation.
Promoting, among other things, "cultivations in installations with low environmental impact and high sustainability".
Furthermore, a system of annual reporting of the sector's statistical data should be promoted, including the quantity of product grown and the "relative prices".
The Ministry of Agriculture then promotes the establishment of a 'brand' that distinguishes national production;
'garden centres' are then equated with agricultural businesses;
professional figures who also operate in urban green areas such as historic parks are defined.
Aggregation between producers is encouraged;
"reward criteria" are envisaged for companies to be included "in regional development plans" subject to State-Regions agreement.
As regards the production of "propagating materials", these can also be grown in "privately owned" nurseries.
And publicly owned land can be leased to "subjects in the horticultural sector" to "facilitate the production of forest trees".
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