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Abstract
This paper deals with quality innovation in the grapevine nursery sector. The vegetative propagation of grapevines, scarcely considered by economic research, is the first step in the wine production chain as it influences both the type and the quality of wines as well as the quality and quantity of the performance of farm investments.
This paper gives the results of a study carried out through a structural analysis of both national and regional grapevine nurseries and then through a direct survey of the largest Sicilian nurseries. The survey covers the main structural and productive issues as well as the commercial aspects of eight Sicilian grapevine nurseries and their innovative investments. The middle–low selling price level of Sicilian rooted vines is the result of limited regional marketing which suffers competition from the propagation materials produced by Northern Italy and abroad. So, the companies adopted technological innovations in the production process (paraffin, mulching, cold room storage and warm-house) in order to reduce costs. Innovations of the product to diversify farm production, although less frequent, were also adopted. Consequently, the opportunities for growth in this sector are subject to the companies' ability to upgrade products and differentiate supplies.
Acknowledgements
The paper is a joint effort of the three authors. V. Borsellino wrote the sections “Regulatory aspects” and “Product and process innovation as a strategic lever for development”; A. Galati drafted the sections “Italian and Sicilian grapevine nurseries” and “Structural and productive issues”; and E. Schimmenti coordinated the whole research project and wrote the sections “Introduction”, “Methodological approach and survey design” and “Commercial aspects”. The “Discussion and Conclusions” were drawn up by all the three authors. Funding was provided by funds of Palermo University (ex 60%), within the research “Economic aspects of logistics organization in the Sicilian vegetable and flower nurseries”, Emanuele Schimmenti scientific coordinator. The authors thank the editor and the two anonymous reviewers of this journal for their helpful comments and suggestions on the previous version of this manuscript. Any other errors are the authors'.
Notes
The health–genetic certification is required for propagation materials intended for the EU market.
At present, only the cultivation of genetically modified grapevines is allowed on an experimental level and not for commercialization; the Council Directive Citation2002/11/EC of 14 February 2002 amending Directive 68/193/EEC on the marketing of material for the vegetative propagation of the vine and repealing Directive 74/649/EEC establishes, however, that if in the future this has to happen, the same safety norms and authorization procedures expected for any other genetically modified materials must be applied.
The decree provides the establishment of the National Service of Grapevine Certification, the registration of varieties in an appropriate national register, the certification of the conditions for the marketing of vine propagation materials (health and purity characteristics and varietal identity guaranteed, official labelling showing indications, prearranged and under official control packaging and sealing). Therefore, a given variety or clone will be certified and marketed only if sufficiently distinct, stable and homogeneous, and meeting the health, identity and varietal purity requirements.
Conservation, pre-multiplication and marketing of “basic propagation materials” are done by breeders or by pre-multiplication centres, while control and certification are carried out by the Council for Research and Experimentation in Agriculture with the support of the regional administration. Production and marketing of “standard” and “certified” materials is done by nurserymen, and the control and certification lie with the regional plant protection services in the territory.
The MIVA data for 2008 do not allow for a comparison between EU countries in terms of area destined to certified and basic materials. In 2007, Italy was the second largest country after France in terms of area destined to certified materials and the first for basic materials, followed by Spain.
About 65 million GVs are absorbed by the internal market, exports account for around 30 million and about 25 million units are unsold.
For example, in Sicily, during the 2009/2010 campaign, over 5000 ha of vineyards were admitted to the premium for permanent abandonment (AGEA, Citation2010).