EN Official Journal of the European Union C 105/12

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2016/C 105/10)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘ΚΟΛΟΚΑΣΙ ΣΩΤΗΡΑΣ’/‘ΚΟΛΟΚΑΣΙ-ΠΟΥΛΛΕΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΑΣ’ (KOLOKASI SOTIRAS/KOLOKASI-POULLES SOTIRAS)

EU No: CY-PDO-0005-01309 — 3.2.2015

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Κολοκάσι Σωτήρας’/‘Κολοκάσι-Πούλλες Σωτήρας’ (Kolokasi Sotiras/Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras)

2. Member State or Third Country

Cyprus

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6: Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in 1 applies

Taxonomy: the plant belongs to the Araceae family and the genus Colocasia. The genus includes the species Colocasia esculenta, which is grown in many parts of the world, including Cyprus. It is essentially a tropical plant which has adapted to local conditions and requires a great deal of water.

Taro is grown for its edible corms, known locally as the ‘mappes’ and the ‘poulles’. The mappa is the central corm, which lies beneath the surface of the soil and is called ‘kolokasi’ [taro]. The poulles are the daughter corms which develop at the sides and are known as ‘kolokasi-poulles’ [baby taro].

Much of the crop is grown in fields of red earth in the wider Sotira area and owing to its specific characteristics it has become widely known as ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ (the mappa) and ‘Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras’ (the poulles).

Distinctive characteristics

Physical characteristics

Shape — ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’: cylindrical, widest near the middle of the corm, and slightly rounded or pointed at the end.

Shape — ‘Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras’: its specific characteristics are (a) it has a curved shape, (b) it is smaller and thinner than the kolokasi and (c) it is pointed at the top end.

Size: ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’: maximum length 30 cm, minimum length 10 cm, maximum diameter 15 cm and minimum diameter 5 cm. There is no minimum or maximum size for ‘Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras’.

Organoleptic characteristics

The following hold true for both ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ and ‘Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras’.

Texture: smooth surface with very small irregular-shaped ribs

Colour on the outside: the mappa/poulla is light brown, with darker areas around the eyes, and irregular whitish patches after it has been scraped. The ‘foot’ at the base of the mappa/poulla is called the ‘mousoulos’ by the local growers and it is an off-white colour, almost the same as the inside of the corm.

Colour of the flesh: from off-white to pale yellow with small brown spots scattered all over the surface, which is relatively moist owing to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals. Because of the calcium oxalate ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ must be cooked in order to be safe to eat. The flesh is smooth and includes very small starch grains.

Smell: neutral to odourless.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

All stages of production, including the preparation of the propagation material, up to the scraping of the corms take place within the defined geographical area.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product to which the registered name refers

—

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product to which the registered name refers

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The defined geographical area comprises agricultural parcels where the soil is red (red earth) located within the administrative boundaries of the Municipality of Sotira and the Communities of Avgorou, Frenaros and Liopetri in the Famagusta District.

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the product

The specific characteristics of ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ and ‘Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras’ are:

(a) the long, narrow cylindrical shape of the mappa and the curved shape of the poulles;

(b) the uniform surface of the corms (as a result of scraping) with very small ribs or none at all;

(c) the whitened colour of the epidermis, due to removal of the soil and much of the periderm (skin) by scraping the corms with a knife.

These specific characteristics make it easy for consumers to distinguish ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ and ‘Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras’ from taro and baby taro grown elsewhere, while the use of vegetative propagation material from the previous crop grown within the defined area ensures that they are perpetuated.

Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

In summary, taro growing in Cyprus has come to be identified with the defined area primarily as a result of the growers’ expertise, together with the favourable soil and climatic conditions.

Specificity of the geographical area

Altitude: the defined geographical area is at the eastern end of Cyprus. It lies at an altitude of not more than 80 m and is less than 14 km from the coast. The land is flat and slopes quite gently down towards the sea and the soil is relatively deep.

The characteristic red earth: the wider Sotira-Kokkinochoria [‘red villages’] area has the greatest concentration of ‘red earth’ areas in Cyprus. This is land that is flat or gently sloping, where the soil is heavy and has a high clay content, water retention capacity of 30-35 % and exchange capacity of 28-33 %. Under normal conditions of humidity these soils are generally friable with better porosity, water permeability and drainage than heavy alluvial soils. The pH of the soil is around 7,5-8,0 and its exchange capacity around 28-33 meq/100 g soil. The organic matter content of the topsoil is generally 0,5-2 % and of the subsoil less than 1 %. All of the above are crucial to the development and vigour of the plants and the quality and quantity of the corms produced, as taro likes heavy, deep, well drained, friable soil with high water retention capacity. These factors, and in particular the fertility of the soil, are also of vital importance in taro growing as they contribute to the development of a healthy root system, which means greater and better nutrient uptake and consequently better yields.

Climatic conditions: the following conditions prevail:

— relatively mild winters (Νονember-February) with average temperatures ranging from 16 °C to 18 °C and average minimum temperatures not falling below 8 °C,

— summers (May-September) with temperatures that are relatively not too high (average 21-29 °C),

— high relative humidity (RH) with an average of 58-79 % throughout the year.

These climatic conditions constitute the defined area’s climate profile, which is compatible with the needs of the crop as generally this is a heat-loving plant that requires an average temperature above 21 °C during the day and is very frost sensitive. Because of this sensitivity to temperature taro thrives in flat areas like the defined geographical area where, as it is close to the sea, temperature changes and differences between day and night-time temperatures are less sharp.

Human factors: these are the factors which over time have led to the development of specific cultivation practices that help determine the characteristics of the product. These practices include:

(a) choosing suitable propagation material: the growers have adopted a number of practices with respect to the selection and handling of vegetative propagation material from the preceding crop. They call this material ‘plant’. They select small, whole and misshapen mappes or poulles, making sure however that they have enough eyes, and/or cut sections of mappa with enough eyes. The growers keep the propagation material in a shady place, covering it with earth and scrapings until the day of planting or they leave some taro plants standing in the field until the day the next crop is to be planted, when they are uprooted and immediately replanted as the new propagation material. In addition, some parcels are planted only in order to provide the propagation material for the following year’s crop. These are usually parcels that are lying fallow or were previously planted with legumes.

(b) earthing up: when the plants reach a height of 70-80 cm, they are earthed up using a special plough that collects soil from the tops of the furrows and deposits it at the base, thus covering the plant stems to a height of approximately 30-40 cm. Earthing up can also be done by hand, using a hoe. Earthing up is done at least once during the growing season and the crop is then immediately given a good watering. Earthing up is a cultivation practice that is facilitated by the texture, composition and in particular the structure of the red earth found in the defined area. More specifically, owing to the stable structure of the soil, which is not easily broken down by the action of irrigation water or rain, earth can be moved more easily to the base of the plant and piled on evenly. This and the soil’s porosity, which means it is well aired, create plant development conditions that produce corms of the size and shape characteristic of ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ — i.e. the mappa is big, long and narrow. Grown under different conditions it would remain small and round.

(c) scraping: after harvesting, the mappes and the poulles are transported to a farm storage facility, temporary storage area or the packaging facility, where they are scraped. This is carried out within the defined geographical area, as the specific know-how lies with the local growers and/or their families so it is done close to their fields, for reasons of proximity and space. Scraping is the process whereby the mappa/poulla is thoroughly cleaned of earth and dirt with a knife until it starts to look white. In practice this involves removal of much of the periderm, in order to get rid of the dirt that is stuck to it. It is done within the defined geographical area, as it is an aspect of the local know-how transmitted from one generation to the next. It should be noted that it is only done within this area — taro grown elsewhere in Cyprus is not scraped.

(d) keeping the ripe corms in the ground and harvesting them gradually: As taro can be left in the ground for quite a long time when it is fully ripe, the growers harvest it according to market needs. They know that the plant is such that the corms will only perish if there is an extended period of frost, which occurs almost never in the area. They also know from experience how much taro they can sell on a daily basis and they harvest the appropriate quantities accordingly. This is why taro is known as a ‘piggy-bank’, as the growers have a product ‘in store’ that can provide them with a stable income — and they know how much in advance. Keeping the ripe taro corms in the ground is one aspect of the local growers’ expertise — it is not done anywhere else in Cyprus.

History:

References show that taro was brought from Karpasia to the Sotira area at the beginning of the 20th century. Initially, it was only grown on land near the sea where the earth is not red. Gradually however, the crop was moved inland (near the Community) to the fields of red earth and it became apparent that the texture of the soil and its greater water retention capacity substantially improved the quality of the taro produced: larger size, uniform shape, yield and texture.

Slowly and gradually taro growing took root in the wider Sotira area, intensifying after 1974, to fill the gap left by the loss of the farms in the northern part of the island. Although ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ was never the area’s main crop, during the 1990s the Famagusta District Agricultural Office kept a separate ‘taro file’ with a view to improving the irrigation systems and establishing a register of growers. The above is also confirmed by a recent (2013) document from the Office which notes that 139 of the 179 taro growers in the District (77 %) are in the Sotira area. According to a survey the Office carried out in 1990, kept in the ‘taro file’, 1 000 decares (77 %) of the total 1 300 decares under taro in Famagusta District were in the Sotira area, so it continued to be an important crop. The other growers are located in other Communities within the defined geographical area. Statistical Service data shows that the defined geographical area produces more than 90 % of the country’s taro.

Culture:

‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ is a key ingredient in the well-known kolokasi-kapamas, a local dish that visitors to the area are always keen to try. It also features prominently in the local cultural life, as evidenced by the traditional Taro Festival. This took place periodically during the 1970s but has recently started to be held again once a year, organised by a local association with the support of the Municipal authority. ‘Kolokasi Sotiras’ and ‘Kolokasi-Poulles Sotiras’ are also shown at events held by municipal associations, etc., as a distinct product that is unique to the area.

The fact that the leaves are not susceptible to attack by pests and diseases is reflected in the local expression, ‘eisai opos to kolokasófyllo’ [‘you are like taro’], used to describe a person who is not bothered or upset by anything.

Publication reference of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/da/da.nsf/All/F3FF567F4E8FF1C5C2257B970039D8EF/$file/Προδιαγραφές%20Κολοκάσι%20Σωτήρας%20_%20Κολοκάσι%20Πούλλες%20Σωτήρας.pdf

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.