EN Official Journal of the European Union C 91/15

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2011/C 91/05

This publication confers the right to object to the amendment application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘ΠΑΤΑΤΑ ΝΑΞΟΥ’ (PATATA NAXOU)

EC No: EL-PGI-0005-0708-27.06.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Πατάτα Νάξου’ (Patata Naxou)

2. Member State or third country:

Greece

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:

The ‘Patata Naxou’ is the edible tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum, which can be consumed in its natural state without the need for any processing (edible potatoes). The tubers range from 35 to 65 millimetres in length, and are correspondingly round to oblong in shape. The skin is yellow and smooth, unbroken with no abrasions. Each tuber has approximately 10 eyes on the surface and the flesh is a typical yellowish-white colour.

The ‘Patata Naxou’ is uniform in size, has a smooth appearance and is free of infestation and disease. It contains over 18 % dry matter and less than 1 % sugar. The spring crop is harvested very early.

The potato varieties grown in the defined geographical area (island of Naxos) are: Liseta, Spunta, Marfona, Vivaldi and Alaska.

Today, Naxos produces two crops a year: the spring crop is sown from mid-February until the beginning of March, while the autumn crop is sown from the beginning of August until the first days of September. Harvesting of the spring crop starts at the end of May and finishes in the first 10 days of July.

3.3. Raw materials:

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

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

The following steps take place in the defined geographical area: sowing, cultivation, harvesting and curing of the potatoes.

These steps must take place in the defined area because the local potato farmers have acquired the know-how to ensure an early harvest by capitalising on the local environmental conditions (timing of sowing in relation to rainfall). In addition, after the potatoes are pulled up a specific step takes place whereby they are covered with straw so that the skin will thicken, making them more resistant to damage during transport, and superficial wounds can heal.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

Compliance with the requirements of Community and national legislation.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The ‘Patata Naxou’ is produced on the island of Naxos. With a surface area of 428 km2, Naxos is the largest island in the Prefecture of the Cyclades in the region of the South Aegean. The total area planted with potatoes depends on the growing season and ranges from 1 500 to 1 700 stremmata (150 to 170 hectares) for the autumn crop and 3 000 stremmata (300 hectares) for the spring crop.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

A. Climate: The following specific climatic factors are considered crucial to the quality classification of the product:

Climatic factors that are especially important for cultivation of the ‘Patata Naxou’ are the low air humidity and the high temperatures. These conditions prevent Phytophthora sp. infestation, which causes the highest percentage of potato crop losses. Specifically, such infestation is favoured by relative humidity higher than 90 % and temperatures lower than 27 °C. The climatic conditions on Naxos are therefore crucial to preventing infestation by the most serious potato pest and, as there is minimal manifestation of other pathogens in the area, the use of plant protection products can be kept to a minimum.

In addition, the high temperatures combined with the long hours of sunshine extend the potato's vegetative cycle to cover the whole year, and constitute optimal curing conditions for the tubers. Lastly, the temperature difference between day and night favours tuber formation.

B. Soil: The bedrock of Naxos is crystalline rock, mainly granite, gneiss, marble and schists in the mountainous part of the island and tertiary sediments, mainly marls, sandstone and conglomerate rock in the lowland and coastal areas.

The island's soil is deep, coarse-textured sandy loam, non-sodic and with zero erosion risk. It contains sufficient amounts of phosphorus and potassium and has medium magnesium and low organic matter content. Sandy loam drains well and permits the unhindered development of regular, clean tubers.

C. Human factors: The cultivation practices are also specifically adapted to the local environment; in combination with the aforementioned advantages, the growers take full advantage of the seasonal rainfall. The period of heavy rainfall, from November to February, coincides with the tuber development of the autumn crop and the sprouting of the spring crop. The cultivation practices are therefore clearly adapted to the local climatic conditions, and one of the main characteristics of the ‘Patata Naxou’, the fact that it crops early, is due to this adaptation.

Another specific feature of potato cultivation on Naxos is that the harvested potatoes are cured under cover of straw. After the potatoes have been pulled up and initial sorting has been carried out in order to discard foreign material and damaged tubers, the growers cover the potatoes with a layer of straw in the field, which is then covered with potato shoots to protect them from the sun. During this time, the skin of the ‘Patata Naxou’ hardens and thickens, which makes it more resistant to damage during transport, and surface wounds can heal. This practice also reduces the risk of the glycoalkaloid content increasing during further handling operations.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

The ‘Patata Naxou’ has acquired an excellent reputation on the market, as a product of unvarying high quality. This reputation goes back almost two centuries to the beginnings of the modern Greek state. It is a product of great importance to the local community and is identified with the island of Naxos. It features in tourist guides to the island and in recipes of celebrity chefs, and has been mentioned in the Greek and foreign press.

In addition, the fact that the spring crop is harvested early is a specific characteristic of the ‘Patata Naxou’ that enhances its commercial value.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product:

The link between the product and the geographical area derives from its reputation. The specificity of the ‘Patata Naxou’ results from the combination of the specific soil and climatic conditions of the island of Naxos and local cultivation practices that have been adapted to these conditions. This differentiation has given the ‘Patata Naxou’ a specific reputation throughout Greece, which is attested by references dating back to the first half of the 19th century, when the potato was first introduced in the country.

The ‘Patata Naxou’ first became famous in 1841, when it was offered to King Otto as a local speciality when he visited the island. In 1874 Dugit described it as one of the important agricultural products of Naxos. Later, in 1911, the first archived rural census in Greece recorded 1 119 stremmata planted with potatoes on Naxos. In 1926, the reputation of ‘Patata Naxou’ spread when the community of Glinado chose the potato shoot as the emblem for its seal.

The excellent quality of the potatoes produced on Naxos led the Greek state to set up the National Seed Potato Production Centre on the island in 1953, and in 1959 the ‘Patata Naxou’ was entered in the list of products that required State protection. Since then the ‘Patata Naxou’ has been one of the local products promoted in Greek and foreign tourist guides.

Today, the ‘Patata Naxou’ is famous throughout Greece and has been mentioned in many magazine and newspaper articles. It also features in tourist guides and cookery magazines, in the recipes of famous chefs and food critics and on the menus of well known restaurants. In addition, every year the Naxos local authorities organise potato festivals, which confirm its reputation and its historical importance for the local community.

A specific feature of the spring crop of ‘Patata Naxou’ is that it is harvested very early. In particular, the cultivation practices are very important as the planting of the potatoes is timed to take full advantage of the seasonal rainfall and the availability of water resources. The fact that the spring crop of ‘Patata Naxou’ is harvested very early is a specific characteristic that enhances its market value and makes it sought after at the beginning of summer, when early potatoes are difficult to find.

After the potatoes have been pulled up, the local potato farmers carry out an initial sorting in the field to discard foreign material and damaged tubers. The potatoes are then arranged in piles in the field and covered with a layer of straw and then a layer of potato shoots to protect them from the sun. The curing in the field improves the keeping qualities of the product: the skin hardens and thickens, which makes it more resistant to damage during transport, surface wounds can heal and the toxic glycoalkaloid content is reduced.

The climatic factors that are favourable for the cultivation of the ‘Patata Naxou’ are the low humidity and the high temperatures, which prevent Phytophthora sp. infestation, thus minimising losses caused by this serious potato pest. This, together with the minimal manifestation of other pathogens in the area means that the use of plant protection products can be kept to a minimum. In addition, the high temperatures combined with the long hours of sunshine extend the vegetative cycle of the potato to cover the whole year, and constitute optimal curing conditions for the tubers. Lastly, the temperature difference between day and night favours tuber formation, while the sandy loam soil drains well and permits the unhindered development of regular, clean tubers.

Publication reference of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

http://www.minagric.gr/greek/data/ΠΡΟΔΙΑΓΡΑΦΕΣ%20ΠΡΟΪΟΝΤΟΣ%20YPAAT%2016%20ΦΕΒΡΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ%202010.pdf

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.