Istat: the system of quality food production ( PDO, PGI and SGT ) is increasingly solid

The quality food production chain is becoming increasingly solid, with a growth in the various sectors, from producers to processors, from areas to the number of recognized products, which continues into 2017, with the sole exception, as revealed by Istat data, of farms, which are falling slightly. The number of PDO, PGI and SGT producers increased by +1.8% compared to 2016, a result of the constant decline recorded in the North (-2.8%) and a substantial increase in the Mezzogiorno (+7.3%) and, more slightly, in the Centre (+1.4%).
The number of transformers is growing considerably (+7.6%), with a greater increase in the Mezzogiorno (+11.5%) and in the Centre (+8.4%). Compared to the previous year, farms (40,043 structures) decreased by -1.3%, while the area based on quality production (232,803 hectares) increased by +17.9%, with intense growth in the Mezzogiorno (+31.2%) and in the North (+22.9%). The main sectors, such as fruit, vegetables, cereals, and extra virgin olive oils, are increasing.
Italy, therefore, is confirmed as the first country in terms of the number of PDO, PGI and SGT recognitions: as of 29 October 2018, 299 quality food products were recognized by the EU, of which 289 are active, representing 96.6% of the total. The news for 2017 concern Fruits, Vegetables, and Cereals (Lentils of Altamura), Extra Virgin Olive Oils (Marche), Fresh Meat (Piedmontese Vitelloni Della Coscia) and Cheeses (Ossola). The sectors with the highest number of recognitions are Fruits, Vegetables and Cereals (111 products), Cheeses (53), Extra virgin olive oils (46) and Meat preparations (41), while Fresh meat and Other sectors include, respectively, 6 and 38 specialties. Emilia-Romagna and Veneto are the Regions with the most PDO and PGI (respectively 45 and 38 recognized products), and in total, in 2017 the certified operators are 85,592, 1,897 more than 2016 (+2.3%). Among these, 90.6% carry out only production activities, 6.4% only processing and 3% both activities. During 2017, 11,116 new operators entered the certification system, against 9,219 leaving, and for the most part, they are men: 83.8% of producers and 86.2% of transformers.
Producers (80,189) are particularly numerous in the sectors of Cheese (26,491, 33% of the total), Extra Virgin Olive Oils (21,959, 27.4%) and Fruit, Vegetables and Cereals (18,746, 23.4%). The trend is similar among transformers (8,050), who are mainly present in the sectors of Extra virgin olive oils (2,206, 27.4% of the total), Fruit, Vegetables and Cereals (1,674, 20.8%) and Cheese (1,505, 18.7%). Finally, half of the producers are active in mountain areas while more than a quarter (26.5%) work in the hills.