The Consell de Ibiza organised a trip to the Italian region of Emilia Romagna from 17 to 21 October with a delegation made up of the presidents and managers of the island's five agricultural and livestock cooperatives, agricultural technicians from the Consell de Ibiza and the island's director of Rural and Marine Affairs, Joan Marí, to learn about the work of the cooperative societies that have fostered regional development in this area.
The programme included visits to different cooperative scenarios, both chains with short marketing channels (Cantina di Cesena, Central del Latte di Cesena), export of processed products (Orogel or Granaloro), protected quality brands such as Parmeggiano (Casseifici 4 Madonne) or Modena balsamic vinegar (La Tradizione), research and development groups such as Ri.Nova or social cooperatives such as Locanda Smeraldi.
During the course of the visits, one of the relevant aspects discussed was the need to focus on innovation and transformation of the different products, as well as the importance of making the product known in the territory, with different points of sale and short marketing channels, the dissemination work in schools and training centers and the opportunity for work, which are essential aspects when it comes to promoting generational change.
Examples of the reconversion of facilities could be seen, such as the visit to Emil Banca, an entity that facilitates corporate credit to the agricultural sector, and its co-working space (MUG) with advanced technology that provides a workspace for entrepreneurs and support for start-ups.
The enhancement of the value of traditional products and the need to work towards quality products with a protection brand (the case of the PDO of Modena vinegar in La Tradizione); reducing waste and plastic, reducing costs by generating biogas and biomethane production to meet the needs of the farm itself (such as the Granaloro group).
Given that the Italian region has the same problems as the agri-food sector on the island of Ibiza, such as the high cost of supplies such as electricity or fuel and the high cost of raw materials, solutions such as those proposed by the Consell de Ibiza were put on the table, combining tourism with agriculture to reduce costs by joining forces and boosting local agricultural produce.
- Source: Periódico de Ibiza
