A €30 million credit line has been made available by the three Salerno cooperative banks (Campania Centro, Capaccio Paestum e Serino, Magna Grecia) to support companies in the buffalo supply chain of the Sele Plain in adopting green solutions and technologies, with the aim of reducing energy costs and improving production efficiency. The initiative was announced by the presidents of the three banks – Camillo Catarozzo, Rosario Pingaro, and Giuseppe Tuozzo – during the presentation of the report 'Sustainable Supply Chains of the Sele Plain - Buffalo Supply Chain', promoted by the Symbola Foundation at the Senate of the Republic, on the initiative of Senator Luca De Carlo, president of the Agriculture Commission. The report, created with contributions from Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, and numerous companies in the sector, analyzes innovative solutions to support the ecological transition of the buffalo supply chain, turning challenges into opportunities for growth and added value. 'Today this supply chain faces the challenge of the green transition, made even more urgent by the instability of energy and raw material costs, and by a new market orientation,' explains Ermete Realacci, president of the Symbola Foundation. The study examines six macro-dimensions of the entire production cycle: from reducing chemical substances to water resource management, from soil and biodiversity protection to emission reduction, up to the recovery of by-products and the adoption of sustainable packaging, without neglecting animal welfare. The Sele Plain concentrates over 25% of the farms and 30.8% of the buffalo herd in Campania. 'It is a heritage that must be preserved for the future, through further innovation and improvement,' adds Camillo Catarozzo, president of Bcc Campania Centro. Among the most interesting data, the ability of the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO supply chain to offset CO2 emissions through forage used for buffalo feed stands out. 'The effort of the promoting banks and the Symbola Foundation is to identify technological innovations capable of making buffalo farms increasingly environmentally compatible and, at the same time, more efficient from a production point of view,' highlights Rosario Pingaro, president of Bcc Capaccio Paestum e Serino. The study identifies more than 30 green solutions, from micro-irrigation to agrovoltaic installations, low-impact refrigeration systems, and small composting, biogas, and biomethane plants, able to valorize by-products such as manure, slurry, and whey. 'As a Cooperative Credit institution, we stand by breeders and processors with expertise, listening, and a dedicated credit line to support investments in renewable energy, efficient resource management, and by-product valorization,' adds Giuseppe Tuozzo, president of Bcc Magna Grecia. Also present was the Regional Councillor for Agriculture, Maria Carmela Serluca: 'Campania is ready to take up this challenge. With over half of Italy's buffalo farms, we are the beating heart of the supply chain and intend to lead the evolution towards a model that is increasingly sustainable, competitive, and innovative.'

https://www.ilmattino.it/en/buffalo_supply_chain_embraces_sustainable_innovation-9513555.html