{"id":24023,"date":"2025-12-22T09:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T09:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/?p=24023"},"modified":"2025-12-22T09:41:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T09:41:13","slug":"the-reggio-calabria-bergamot-orange-certification-process-countered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/2025\/12\/22\/the-reggio-calabria-bergamot-orange-certification-process-countered\/","title":{"rendered":"The Reggio Calabria bergamot orange certification process countered"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A geographical origin certification delay hounds the world\u2019s biggest bergamot orange production center, Reggio di Calabria<\/u><\/a> province in southwest Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ezio Pizzi, Conflagricoltura Reggio Calabria and Coldiretti Reggio Calabria have all objected to giving bergamot the Protected Geographical Indication (IGP\/PGI) status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOP Essence Consortium’s president Ezio Pizzi had in 2001 helped certify the orange with Europe\u2019s Protected Designation of Origin (DOP\/POD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now it appears there are objections about assigning the orange a new certification status that may conflict with DOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contested IGP registration began five years ago but only got final gazetting on October 16, 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certification would assign these oranges that produce oil, perfume, and Earl Gray tea an exclusive origin to the Calabria region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Italian-language Metis Online<\/u><\/a> on December 17, 2025, the Indicazione Geographica Protetta (IGP) Promotion Committee regards objections as monopolistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The committee views opposition as tantamount to protecting essential oil interests against IGP-related fresh orange sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the committee, final certification would equip Italy with a profitable fresh fruit supply chain in the free market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certification Critical for Farmers  <\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

IGP Promotional Committee\u2019s chair Rosario Prevetira rues that his team\u2019s need to prepare counter-arguments against the newest objections will waste producers\u2019 time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francesco Macr\u00ed, president of Copagri Calabria, also finds the delay as depriving farmers of fair prices for bergamot oranges within Italy and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certification backers see commercial products of these oranges as an outcome of toil by growers, who therefore need support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giuseppe Mangone who heads ANPA Calabria-Liberi Agricoltori called on the Calabria region to seek support from the Ministry of Agriculture against lost time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry had in mid-October published the Production Regulations for Bergamot of Reggio Calabria PGI<\/u><\/a> in a national journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gazetting had as good as bolstered the fruit\u2019s identification with the European Union (EU)\u2019s keynote DOP.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objections are happening in the middle of the bergamot orange (Citrus x aurantium<\/em><\/u><\/em><\/a>) harvest that runs from November to February annually, frustrating marketing hopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As settlement to the issue gets a hearing, farmers are expediting their harvest for the oil market. How the Reggio Calabria bergamot orange harvest stands in the world market forms the topic of the stats section below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reggio Calabria Bergamot Orange <\/strong>Statistics <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reggio di Calabria in the \u201ctoe of the boot\u201d region of Italy produces 90%<\/u><\/a> to 95%<\/u><\/a> of the world\u2019s \u2018Citrus bergamia\u2019 harvest. The name bergamia has Turkish origins but production in Italy under this name began around the 14th<\/sup> century or later. About 1,300<\/u><\/a> smallholder farmers grow the fruit exclusively in Calabria and supply the produce to co-ops and aromatic product factories. Factories make oil products, eau de cologne and Earl Gray Tea while co-ops sell their procurements as fresh fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where exactly do bergamot oranges grow in Italy?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The toe of Italy\u2019s boot where the Ionian and Mediterranean seas meet is where Calabria\u2019s farmers grow bergamot. Orchards lie on a strip covering 90 kilometers<\/u><\/a>, with production concentrated in 35 miles<\/u><\/a> (56 km). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much of Calabria\u2019s Bergamot has certified origin? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calabria had by end 2025 only one designated origin status, namely the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP\/POD) of 2001. According to Ezio Pizzi, who heads the Bergamot Consortium, Calabria\u2019s DOP-designated area produces 80%<\/u><\/a> of worldwide bergamot. The remainder of the region awaits full certification with the onset of the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI\/IGP) registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the economical value of bergamot orange products? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oil from bergamot is where value is most apparent,  with 2008-9 national bergamot oil production amounting to 70 kiloliters<\/u><\/a> annually.  According to CBC Canada<\/u><\/a>, one company was earning \u20ac1 ($1.17) per liter of bergamot oil in end 2024.  According to Mediterranean Way<\/u><\/a>, \u2018bergamot essence\u2019 can garner between \u20ac150 and 300 ($175.74-351.48) per 500 ml at retail. This high price owes to the fact that it requires 200 lb of oranges to produce only 2 lb of oil. Bergamot-scented Earl Gray tea also sells higher than other specialty teas for the same reason. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A geographical origin certification delay hounds the world\u2019s biggest bergamot orange production center, Reggio di Calabria province in southwest Italy. Ezio Pizzi, Conflagricoltura Reggio Calabria and Coldiretti Reggio Calabria have all objected to giving bergamot the Protected Geographical Indication (IGP\/PGI) status. DOP Essence Consortium’s president Ezio Pizzi had in 2001 helped certify the orange with Europe\u2019s Protected Designation of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Reggio Calabria bergamot orange certification process countered - Selina Wamucii | Food & Agriculture News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/2025\/12\/22\/the-reggio-calabria-bergamot-orange-certification-process-countered\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Reggio Calabria bergamot orange certification process countered - Selina Wamucii | Food & Agriculture News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A geographical origin certification delay hounds the world\u2019s biggest bergamot orange production center, Reggio di Calabria province in southwest Italy. 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