The collection campaign Lodosa Piquillo Pepper began in Navarre with the best surface data of the last 20 yearsaccording to the register of the Regulatory Council of this Designation of Origin.
This quality label of piquillo pepper has counted a total of 198 hectares cultivated This year, 32 more than last year, which represents a 19% increase. To this figure must be added the number of registered farmers, 68, four fewer than last season.
The forecasts are good for this harvest already started in the agricultural plots of Navarre, taking into account the increase in areas which will most likely result in a also an increase in production.
“It’s about a late campaign that, although it has already started its collection in municipalities such as Lerín or Mendavia, it arrives late in the rest of the municipalities such as Lodosa, as has already happened since the beginning”, explains Jesús Aguirre, president of the Regulatory Council of the Piquillo DOP of Lodosa.
We must not forget that pepper is the second most demanded product by the agro-industry of the Foral Community To which must be added the importance of Piquillo de Lodosa for being a differentiated brand that manages to be valued and differentiated in the markets under the protection of a designation of origin.
For their part, these The products bear the Reyno Gourmet guarantee mark which houses the quality labels of the agri-food sector of Navarre.
The beginning of the campaign was characterized by some problems in the case of plantations affected by excessive wind This could have rubbed the sole with the padding and many mistakes had to be corrected.”The harvest developed quite acceptably. throughout this campaign, and we hope that now that the bushes are much larger, they will be able to develop fruits that will not be much affected by the sun,” explains Iñigo Arozarena, head of horticulture at INTIA. In any case, we hope that with this week of drier weather, the fruits will be able to recover from the heavy rains and storms that occurred at the beginning of this September.
Certified product
For now, The pepper harvested is of good qualitywith a product that brings together the characteristics of the Lodosa piquillo pepper: intense red color, mild flavor, about 10 cm. in length and with a thin thickness of meat.
The UTechnical Certification Unit of the public company INTIA is responsible for supervising all cultivation processes, fruit reception, preparation, packaging and certification of the final product. Said Technical Unit has the authorization of the competent administrations to act as a control body, in accordance with the provisions of the respective European Regulations on designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural and food products, spirit drinks and wine.
He pepper certified by the Designation of Origin Pimiento del Piquillo de Lodosa, covers the canning of Extra and Premiere categories of the “piquillo” variety of red piquillo peppers, grown and processed exclusively in the eight municipalities covered by the regulation: Andosilla, Azagra, Cárcar, Lerín, Lodosa, Mendavia, San Adrián and Sartaguda. Once collected, they are transported to the canneries where, once cleaned, they are roasted over a direct flame.
The process continues with careful coring, peeling and seed removal. peeled peppers They go to the packaging area where experts select, classify and package the pepper in specific boxes and jars. As in the preparation, the packaging is done dry, so that the small amount of transparent and dense liquid that appears when opening the box is the same juice that the pepper has released.
Her high quality and its very particular flavor It distinguishes it from other peppers and benefits from international recognition, appearing in the European Register of designations of origin for agricultural products.
About Reyno Gourmet
Reyno Gourmet is a guaranteed brand created in 2007 by the Government of Navarre, which identifies and protects people certified quality agri-food products and others which, due to their specific characteristics, are likely to differentiate themselves within the Foral Community.
It brings together under one roof more than 2,600 references from 111 companieswhich include the Reyno Gourmet brand logo on their label as a symbol of differentiation and quality guarantee.
INTIAa public company attached to the Department of Rural Development and Environment of the Government of Navarre, is holder of the Reyno Gourmet guarantee markand among its objectives is the promotion of certified quality agri-food products.
