A regional panel session for the protection of truffles in Campania started at the regional Administration for Agriculture premises.

The panel session chaired by Regional Minister for Agriculture Daniela Nugnes, is composed of the representatives of province committees for truffle protection, recognized associations of hunters, the Agricultural and Forestry Committee of the regional Council.

Attendance is free.

Truffle production in Campania is a deep rooted economic business and it involves mainly the internal areas of the region.

Figures report approximately 2,500 quintal truffles for a total value of more than seven million Euros but experts deem these numbers are underestimated as disregardful of many areas where the spread of this product is not known yet. The sector is growing constantly and has the capability to generate satellite activities.

The Regional Minister stated: “We aim at starting an institutional cooperation path with all the involved stakeholders of the truffle production system in Campania to develop shared promotion and protection projects of the several species, from black truffle of Bagnoli Irpino and Colliano to white truffle coming from Benevento and the upper part of the Caserta province”.

This session will deal with several aspects of the sector from the protection of the forest system, to the collection authorization the solution to all unsolved problems. As a matter of the fact, at the end of the meeting the Presidents of the 5 associations of truffle hunters delivered a paper where weaknesses have been reported and possible solutions are urged both from the legislative and from the administrative point of view, in cooperation with provinces.

Ms. Nugnes concluded: “Now, we aim at working also for the promotion of lands where it grows, hence supporting development potentials that truffle is able to generate both as good cooking appealer and as a marker of pristine uncontaminated environment. Through the promotion of this excellence, we will be able to promote the whole Campania area and, above all, internal areas of our region”.