Protecting the quality and tradition of the PDO Cilento white fig, promoting it on national and foreign markets, but also making it an "intangible" asset to attract tourists and bring them to learn about its production directly in the territories.
These are the objectives of the Consortium for the protection of Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO;
the establishment took place at the Consortium headquarters in San Pietro a Perdifumo.
The fig growers Aderico Venuti, Angelo Venuti, Giovanna Guariglia, Angelo Guariglia, Carmela Pecora and Giuseppe Oricchio are part of it.
Guido Ruocco was elected President;
vice president Aderico Venuti.
"The establishment of the Consortium - explains the president of Coldiretti Ettore Bellelli - represents an interesting opportunity for companies and for the territory. Together with the producers and transformers/packers we will work to promote a product of absolute quality and attract visitors and enthusiasts. consortia are essential to protect, promote and inform consumers about the PDO they represent. For Cilento it is a historic moment: creating a protection consortium means giving quality, ensuring that the product is protected and above all that producers can work for new projects and to increasingly promote a product of excellence. Today, valorised and shared, Fico Bianco del Cilento dop can become the ambassador of Cilento".
"We will intensify the protection of production by defending the protected designation of origin in Italy and abroad - echoes the president Guido Ruocco - the white fig which is a unique product in the world will now finally be able to count on a protection Consortium that certifies its origin and protect its quality".
The protected designation of origin DOP "Fico Bianco del Cilento" refers to the Dottato cultivar;
the plants have characterized the landscape of Campania and in particular of Cilento for millennia.
Their introduction can be attributed to the Greek colonists.
Already Cato, and then Varro, said that dried figs were commonly used in Cilento and Lucania as a food base for the labor employed in field work.
The area of choice is Cilento, from the coastal hills of Agropoli to Bussento at the southern limits of Campania.
There are a total of 68 municipalities in the province of Salerno that are part of the PDO production area.
Currently, with over 30% of national production, Campania is the Italian region that boasts the largest production of figs, 18,000 kg of product certified by Agroqualita on just under 100 hectares spread across the entire territory included in the Production Specifications.
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