On Monday, July 15th, Puegnago del Garda hosted an important conference dedicated to olive growing in Lombardy at the historic Villa Galnica. The event, titled “Olive Growing: Challenges and Perspectives for the Future of the Lombard Supply Chain,” was organized by Gal GardaValsabbia as part of the “Olive Growing 2030 2.0” cooperation project.
The conference was attended by over one hundred people, including industry professionals and experts. Representatives from provincial, regional, and national institutions were also present to discuss the current and future challenges of olive growing, with a particular focus on phytosanitary issues and climate change.
During the opening remarks, Silvano Zanelli, the mayor of Puegnago del Garda and president of AIPOL, emphasized the importance of olive growing not only from a productive standpoint but also in terms of landscape and tourism. Zanelli reiterated the importance of research in addressing common issues in the sector and stated that “the enhancement of the olive supply chain is essential not only for production purposes but also as a lever for tourism.”
Alessandro Beduschi, the Regional Councilor for Agriculture of Lombardy, highlighted the need for a coordinated territorial network to preserve the quality of Lombard oil. He reiterated the region’s support for local olive growers.
Significant data on olive production in Lombardy was presented during the conference. Currently, there are over 1800 companies dedicated to oil production in the region, with a total production in the 2022/2023 biennium of approximately 212 tons, representing 0.07% of national production. Organic cultivation covers approximately 264 hectares, or 18.75% of the total regional area.
The most representative provinces are Brescia with 228 hectares dedicated to organic olive growing, followed by Bergamo with 17 hectares and Mantua with 6.5 hectares.
Gianfranco Comincioli, President of Coldiretti Lombardy, spoke about the difficulties encountered in recent years by the olive supply chain due to new plant diseases and extreme weather phenomena that have compromised production. Comincioli praised the contributions of experts during the conference, who offered positive perspectives for the future of olive growing in Lombardy.
Ettore Prandini, President of Coldiretti National, proposed the organization of an event dedicated to extra virgin olive oil similar to Vinitaly to promote this excellent product. He suggested Brescia as the ideal location for such an event.
Pierlucio Ceresa conveyed greetings from Senator Mariastella Gelmini and expressed the commitment of the Garda Community to support coordinated initiatives to address local difficulties related to olive growing.
Paolo Zani from AIPOL illustrated the activities carried out as part of the “Olive Growing 2030 2.0” project, focused on phytosanitary monitoring through bulletins based on data collected from weather stations scattered throughout the territory.
Finally, Tiziano Pavoni, President of Gal GardaValsabbia, emphasized the importance of networking to provide timely guidance to operators on how to manage emerging challenges in olive growing in the Garda area.
Italian Version
