Italy: birth of the interbranch organization for the South Central region

"The acknowledgment by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Tourism (MiPAAFT) of the interbranch organization for the tomato industry of Italy's South Central region is an important gesture that we have noted with satisfaction. We will be working towards loyal and efficient collaboration between our interbranch organization and this new one in the South Central region. We share the same objective of increasing awareness and enhancing the value of true quality tomatoes 'made in Italy'."
These are the warm words of Tiberio Rabboni, president of Northern Italy's Pomodoro IO (which was itself acknowledged by the Ministry in 2017) as he welcomed the news of official recognition for the South Central processing tomato IO. 

"The existence of two interbranch organizations is not an obstacle for implementing national policies. On the contrary, it should facilitate their implementation," stated Tiberio Rabboni. "Indeed, in Italy, two distinct production zones coexist for this industrial sector, clearly separated in terms of their geographical location, their relationships between growers and processors, and finally in terms of their finished products. This is the reason why two interbranch organizations have been set up, one in the North of Italy in 2011, and the other more recently in the South Central region. From now on, these two IOs will be able to cooperate in order to achieve common goals benefiting the whole country, while retaining their respective characteristics."
The President of the Pomodoro Nord Italia IO also highlighted the importance of active participation of all operators within the industry: "The experience that has been built up until now in the North of Italy shows that the IO can contribute to improving the efficiency and image of the industry if it actually becomes a context for direct participation on behalf of the different partners, and the instrument for setting up and implementing voluntary rules that are applied at all levels, in terms of production, environmental issues, ethical behavior and contractual commitments."

Published in the Official Journal dated 9 November, the MiPAAFT decree acknowledging the Interbranch Organization of the Processing Tomato Industry in the South Central Region of Italy was also welcomed by its own president, Annibale Pancrazio: "After the ministry acknowledged the IO Pomodoro Nord Italia, the creation of an IO for the South Central region is a complementary advantage for the interbranch framework of the tomato processing industry in Italy, and it will give a new impetus to a sector, which despite difficulties, has continued to represent a strategic aspect of our country's economy."
For the president of Ortofrutta Italia, Gennaro Velardo, "the institutional acknowledgment of the IO Pomodoro South Central is a major step for our sector. The IO will be able to promote the necessary integration process for the industry whilst ensuring careful planning and compliance with the rules and agreements that have been set up, in a context of balance between the different partners."
"As for the ANICAV, added President Antonio Ferraioli, we have been supportive and contributed to the process of transformation for the South Central processing tomato district, which has been born out of the desire to institute self-regulation. This acknowledgment will allow us to establish the foundation of fruitful dialogue between the agricultural and industrial sectors, and help promote enhanced value for Italian processing tomatoes."
The IO is active in an economic zone that includes the regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Marche, Molise, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Toscana and Umbria. It includes 84 members belonging to the primary and secondary sectors of the processing tomato industry of Italy's central and southern regions, and represents 95.4% of the processing tomatoes grown in its zone of reference.