Last Friday, July 21st the European Union (EU) granted the certificate of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) to coffee produced in the region of Valdesia, in the south of the Dominican Republic, a seal of quality that will allow to relocate this product among the country’s four major agroindustrial export products.
The EU Representative in the country, Ambassador Alberto Navarro, acknowledged IICA’s role in this important achievement for the Dominican coffee sector and reiterated the EU’s support to the coffee subsector through a contribution of technical and financial assistance for 1.7 million euros in the execution of component for the Dominican Republic Central American Program for Comprehensive Management Roya Café (PROCAGICA-RD) to fight coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix), a disease that has fleeced the dominican coffee plantations, contributing to the decline the production, along with other factors.
Under the certification, the Valdesia coffee becomes the only coffee in the world that has been recognized by the European Union as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and the only agri-food product in three continents (Oceania, Africa and America) that obtains this seal of quality under the European Community registration system.
