Il president of Unaprol – Italian Olive Consortium, David Granieri, launches a loud and clear appeal”Let’s reveal the names of those who are making low-price deals that are undermining the Italian extra virgin olive oil market.”In the midst of the harvest season, the domestic market is under pressure due to massive purchases of oil from foreign countries, even non-EU, with the aim of artificially lowering prices at the origin of Italian production.
David Granieri
“We cannot allow – Granieri underlines – That our extra virgin olive oil is being debased and sold off. It is essential that all institutions mobilize to defend the work of Italian producers and ensure a sustainable future for a sector that is strategic to the national economy. There is no economic justification for the price of Italian extra virgin olive oil to fall to these levels.
The Consortium strongly reiterates that the price of Italian extra virgin olive oil cannot fall below the minimum value necessary to guarantee the survival of a sector that, with great sacrifice, has maintained high quality standards even in a particularly difficult year.. “The right price must be recognized first and foremost to Italian olive oil companies and mills – explains Granieri –. They are the true protagonists of this supply chain, those who, with passion and dedication, guarantee an excellent product appreciated throughout the world. A downward speculation not only harms them financially, but also denigrates the value of our oil internationally.”
Unaprol today requested, with a specific note addressed to Masaf, immediate and concrete interventions from the Central Quality Control Inspectorate (ICQRF), through:
the establishment of an extraordinary Control Room, involving all law enforcement agencies responsible for agri-food matters, to coordinate counter-insurance operations;
the implementation of an extraordinary control plan at ports and main entry points, in collaboration with the Customs Agency, to ensure timely checks on the origin of products, with the simultaneous initiation of careful sampling to verify compliance with the Maximum Residue Limits for plant protection products set by European legislation, which appear to have been exceeded in several batches;
monitoring and analysis of short contracts (“futures”) at the major Commodity Exchanges, which are influencing the market trend, in order to promptly identify any speculative practices and possible fraud regarding origin.
Granieri reiterates: “Italian extra virgin olive oil has value, not cost. Products from third countries must not be ‘nationalized’: their true origin must be guaranteed and protected. This is why we demand absolute transparency: out with the names of the discounted contracts.”
Dining and Cooking