Coldiretti raises the alarm, the made in Italy tomato is at risk. If not remedied, it will be replaced by Chinese production.
The situation described by the largest association of representation and assistance of Italian agriculture it is tragic. One of the key products of the agricultural production of our country, tomato, is at risk. The data recorded by Istat from January to May 2021 speak of an arrival of tomatoes of China production tripled in quantity compared to previous periods. A percentage of 164% more scares Coldiretti and, consequently, even Italian citizens must start to worry. The fear is that more than 100 million kilos of tomatoes could be Chinese by the end of this year, or so 15% of production of fresh Italian tomato.
The scam on the sale of tomatoes
The real made in Italy could disappear with tomatoes from China that would be sold as local products. The scam scares Coldiretti and the alarm goes off for national markets but also for foreign ones. The possibility that tomatoes produced in China can be sold as Italians is high with rather negative consequences for our country.
Poor quality of the Chinese product would cause a national collapse from the point of view of the market and image. The process is to produce tomatoes in China, take them to Italy with large ships that can transport drums with 200 kilos of tomato paste and package the vegetable in our country. A outright fraud for which Coldiretti asks for greater controls and new directives for trade.
What should be changed to save Made in Italy
Coldiretti underlines the error to be remedied. Currently in our country there is the obligation to report on the label the place where the tomato is stored used for derivatives with red berries as the only or primary ingredient. For products that come from abroad does not apply, instead, no directive to that effect. A change is necessary in order not to risk reducing the sales numbers of tomatoes made in Italy both in our peninsula and abroad.
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The production of tomatoes for Italy and abroad
Italy is the third largest producer in the world for tomatoes (followed by the USA and China) and produces half of the product destined for the countries of the European Union. Our nation has 78 thousand hectares of land planted with tomatoes, half of which are located in the regions of northern Italy. The estimated harvest for 2021 is 5 million and 600 thousand tons. How can you think of wasting this Italian excellence with Chinese production?
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