GORGONZOLA PDO PRODUCTION 2022: OVER 5 MILLION WHEELS, YET THE TREND IS NEGATIVE AFTER 10 YEARS
The Consortium for the Protection of Gorgonzola Pdo Cheese publishes figures that, as of December 31, 2022, stand at 5,048,311 wheels, the result of 39 member companies. After an uninterrupted growth since 2012, last year, for the first time, the production of Gorgonzola Pdo recorded a decrease of 4% (-210,517 wheels compared to 2021).
The decline affects the entire production area, which includes Piedmont and Lombardy, with the former registering a decrease of 2.73 % and Lombardy a decrease of 7.11 %.
The production of Gorgonzola Pdo spicy is still rather average, representing 12.47% of the total production (629,595 wheels).
The situation on the export front is much better: in the third quarter of 2022, exports of Gorgonzola Pdo increased by 3.3% compared to the same period in 2021, representing 41.8% of the total production. 1,558,000 wheels crossed national borders last year. (*)
Antonio Auricchio, President of the Consortium Gorgonzola Pdo says, “2022 was the most difficult year of the last decade. After the historic surpassing of 5 million wheels in 2019, we are now paying, like all great cheeses, the cost of an economic situation that is straining the budgets of companies and consumers. The cost of milk has risen month after month, forcing us to increase prices because the agricultural sector is also suffering, but fortunately no dairy has closed and above all, we have not compromised on quality, which for me is fundamental, even in a particularly difficult and delicate production such as Gorgonzola. We have been helped by the increase in exports, with Gorgonzola on the tables of more than 70 countries. Therefore, I am pleased overall. Despite this slight downturn, our companies continue to produce quality. Moreover, they know how to do it. This is our great asset. What we need is a joint effort on the part of the Country’s system in order to give even more and better support to the “Made in Italy”.
(*) Partial data up to 9/30/22; source CLAL
