Encouraging news arrives for the Sicilian agri-food sector: Sicilian oil has indeed achieved great success at the tasting organized by the Regional Institute of Wine and Oil of Sicily in the pavilion reserved for the International Olive Oil Salon at Vinitaly, currently taking place in Verona.
In the space dedicated to extra virgin olive oil, there are as many as 25 Sicilian olive oil producer companies that can boast the Protected Designation of Origin mark; among these companies, five of them have stood out at one of the most important international events dedicated to wines and spirits in general, now in its 56th edition this year.
The encouraging statistics for Sicilian oil
“A sensory journey that crosses the entire island in a crescendo of emotions,” commented Antonio Sparacio, vice chief panelist of Sicilian PDO Oil on the participation of Sicilian companies at the International Olive Oil Salon, where tasters from all over Italy and even some curious foreigners have arrived while the event of the Regional Institute of Wine and Oil of Sicily reviews the best of Sicilian production.
“The Regional Institute of Wine and Oil of Sicily fully carries out the role of certifying body with a continuous increase in the Protected Designation of Origin established in 2016. Despite the last difficult year, the data are increasingly reassuring,” said Michele Riccobono, head of the Control and Certification Unit of PDO Oil. “The quantity of certified PDO oil is around 2000 tons per year.”
The very encouraging statistics for oil production in sicily, of course, encourage producers to achieve greater results, considering that, as Michele Riccobono recalls: “certified production represents a small drop in the vast sea of a market that shows a demand for certified quality Sicilian oil constantly growing.”
Currently, PDO represents about 10% of the 160,000 hectares of olive groves on the island, but the trend is always on the rise.
“The commitment of the Institute will continue in terms of quality certification, but also of support and enhancement of the excellence of Sicilian oil production, also because we have understood that this represents a sector with huge market potential not only in Italy,” concluded Gaetano Aprile, director of the Regional Institute of Wine and Oil of Sicily.
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