Following this publication, the authorities of a Member State or of a Third Country, or a natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and established or resident in a Third Country, may lodge, in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) an opposition with the Commission within 3 months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’

EU No: PGI-CY-02906 - 31.3.2023

(PDO) ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) of [of PDO or PGI]

‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Cyprus

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Product type

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed

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

The name ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ refers to fresh potatoes, i.e. the edible tubers of the Solanum tuberosum plant, regardless of variety, which are characterised by their slightly reddish brown colour, resulting from the remains of red soil on the skin as they were grown in red soil. A distinguishing feature of the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ is that the various varieties are available as fresh or stored produce throughout the year. The ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ is not washed and is supplied to the end consumer unwashed, with soil residue or with their skins just cleaned by brushing, subject to the tolerances for the presence of foreign matter laid down in UNECE STANDARD FFV-52 for the marketing of fresh potatoes (as amended or replaced). At the time of supply to the final consumer, the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ has the following characteristics.

Physical and organoleptic characteristics:

Whole tubers without any obvious defects (greening, splitting, bruises, damage, stains or pathological alterations)

Tuber shape: round, oval, elongated oval

Skin colour: light reddish brown

Consistency: firm

Colour of flesh: typical of the variety, i.e. from white to various shades of yellow

Scent: earthy to intensely earthy (when the skin is wet)

Taste: pleasant, earthy

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 the production stages (planting, cultivation, harvesting and sorting) must take place within the demarcated area referred to in point 4.

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

—

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

The label should include at least:

—	the name and/or producer code as entered in the Control System,

—	the name and address of the packager;

—	the logo of the registered designation of origin

Colour codes (coloured):

Ral 8007 brown

Ral 9003 white

Ral 6029 green

Ral 1021 yellow

Colour codes (black and white):

Ral 9005 black

Ral 7024 grey

Ral 9003 white

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The defined geographical area comprises agricultural parcels whose soil is characterised as red and is located within the administrative boundaries of the municipalities listed below, in which effective control is exercised by the Republic of Cyprus.

Famagusta District: Achna, Liopetri, Avgorou, Sotira, Frenaros, Deryneia, Paralimni and Agia Napa

Larnaca District: Xylotymbou, Xylofagou, Ormideia, Kiti and Pervolia, Dromolaxia-Meneou and Pyla

Nicosia District: Evrychou, Linou, Flasou, Pano Koutrafas, Kato Koutrafas, Nikitari, Vyzakia, Potami, Astromeritis, Peristerona, Orounda, Akaki, Meniko, Kokkinotrimithia, Paliometocho, Agioi Trimithias and Agia Barbara

Paphos District: Kouklia, Mandria, Timi, Anarita, Achelia, Geroskipou, Empa, Kisonerga, Argaka, Makounta, Poli Chrysochous, Chrysochou and Pegeia

5.   Link with the geographical area

The application for registration of the name ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ is based on the reputation it has acquired over decades, from the beginning of the last century and up until the present day. Its reputation has been linked to its cultivation in the red soil of the demarcated area, which characterises the earth in various parts of Cyprus. The demarcated area covers agricultural parcels located in various areas of Cyprus with almost identical soil characteristics, which is why the reputation is associated with the island as a whole.

The reddish brown colour of the tuber’s skin is due to the colour of the soil in which it grows. The red soils have only limited variations between the various regions, and in all cases it is the plasticity and stickiness that cause the soil to stick to the tubers, resulting in the reddish brown colour that constitutes the main distinctive aspect of the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’. The reddish brown soil residues are retained when the potatoes are put on the market unwashed, after harvesting and sorting, creating a distinctive characteristic and gaining them popularity on the international market, where they are often referred to as the ‘famous’ Cypriot potatoes.

Particular emphasis is also placed on certain references to red and loam soil, which is rich in nutrients, particularly iron and magnesium, and which is not easily washed off the potato skin.

The demarcated area is characterised by red soils, most which are compact areas where the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ has traditionally been grown and cultivated. These are deep and fertile soils, rich in nutrients such as iron and magnesium. The soils in this area, as described by the relevant branch of the Cyprus Department of Agriculture, are characterised by the fact that ‘when the soil is wet it becomes clingy and sticky, and upon drying it becomes quite hard and cohesive’. The soil properties in the demarcated area combined with the reddish colour are the characteristics that give rise to the red colouring of the skin of the potatoes grown in this area, and the name ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ by which they are widely known.

Since the start of potato commercialisation in Cyprus, cultivation on red soil has been the characteristic factor that has given the product its quality and reputation. Historical references to the specificity of the red soils in which the ‘Κυπριακή Πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ is cultivated date back to the start of the twentieth century. The Cyprus Gazette [No 1986 (1929)] states that 1909 was the year of widespread commercialisation of the potato in Cyprus. At the same time, it refers to the importance of the red soil and to the popularity of, and increased demand for, potatoes grown on it: ‘potatoes grown in red soil are more appreciated than those grown in any other soil and are far in greater demand locally and fetch higher prices’.

From the 1960s when the Cyprus Potato Marketing Board began exporting potatoes from Cyprus, the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ acquired a special reputation on international markets, making it one of Cyprus’ most important agricultural products, which the national authorities systematically promote through both local and international brochures and publications. The English version of the Gastronomical map of Cyprus (2011) states the following: ‘Cyprus red soil potatoes are famous for their excellent flavour and firm texture. They are easily distinguished by their reddish skin, obtained from the fertile red soil of Kokkinohoria (red soil villages) in the eastern region of Cyprus, where they are cultivated. They are also cultivated in the region west of Nicosia (Akaki, Peristerona and Astromeritis)’. The Cyprus Food Virtual Museum has a separate entry for the name ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’, pointing out the history, cultivation, marketing and uses of the product in Cypriot cuisine. The ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ is included in the list of products of the ‘Taste Cyprus Delightful Journeys’ and ‘Cyprus Breakfast Kalimera’ certification marks for Cypriot gastronomy, through which Cypriot cuisine and local products are made known to visitors to the island.

The reputation of the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ is also highlighted by other official trade bodies in the Republic of Cyprus, such as the Trade Centres which operate in various countries, thereby drawing attention to its superior quality, and providing continuous international trade data on the quantities sold, the product’s quality and commercial activity. For example, the Cypriot Trade Centres systematically refer to the main markets for the product in Berlin and London, thereby showcasing the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ as Cyprus’s main exportable agricultural product.

Similarly, many websites belonging to Cypriot export companies offer information on placing the product on the international market.

For several decades now, the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ has been renowned on international markets for its unique quality and taste, with many reports linking the qualitative elements of the product to the red soil in which it is grown. Typical publications can be found on the website of the ‘Khaleej Times’ newspaper (22 December 2022) and also in the special edition of the ‘CYPRUS’ magazine (28 December 2020) of the above-mentioned newspaper, where reference is again made to the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’.

The reputation acquired by the ‘Κυπριακή πατάτα κοκκινογής / Kypriaki patata kokkinoyis / Cyprus red soil potato’ and the characteristic recognition it enjoys from consumers due to its reddish brown skin have sometimes been exploited by traders on the international market. On the one hand, online reports extol its reputation on the European market as being particularly delicious, attributable to the trace elements in the red soil and guaranteeing the top price in all European countries where it is sold. On the other hand, these reports acknowledge the attempt to exploit the reputation artificially, i.e. by coating potatoes with red soil purchased from Cyprus, in a bid to sell potatoes at higher prices by claiming that they are from Cyprus.

Reference to publication of the product specification

http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/da/da.nsf/All/82B33F7D83ABF5A8C225879C00346BA5?OpenDocument

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(1)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj).