Sana, Federbio and Assobio asked for a ten-year plan to develop the future of the sector

The trade show world is restarting, taking all the necessary precautions, of course, and “aware of the weight of the trade fair system in the Italian economic panorama, starting from organic and agro-food as well as other sectors”, said Gianpiero Calzolari, president of Sana, at the presentation of Sana - International Exhibition of Organic and Natural products, to be held in Bologna from September 9th to 12th. “We are still waiting for the Government to let us know the amount of aid we will be receiving. We are hoping the promises will be fulfilled in the upcoming weeks, so we can finally get out of this financial stalemate we are in, which hinders us from playing on equal terms with our International competitors”, said Calzolari. He then lifted the curtain on the innovations at the beginning of 2022, when “there will be a new format on the Sana calendar, "Sana Slow Wine", including meetings at the International level, where wine will be central”.
Sana is focusing on the entire organic sector, and not only wine, of course. The president of Federbio, Maria Grazia Mammuccini, summarized the situation reminding us of the delicate moment the sector is experiencing, which has emerged unscathed - or almost - from this challenging year and a half. “We are now in a strategic phase, and together with ASSOBIO we must relaunch our fundamental alliance within Sana, which represents the main element for the future of the sector. Companies have resisted the impact of the Pandemic, but there have been many difficulties on the agricultural level. This year, the "Change the Earth" campaign, promoted with Legambiente and Slow Food, will be dedicated to the soil, vital to organic productions, highlighting the differences to conventional ones, based on scientific research evidence in the field. We will also be collaborating with “Sana Slow Wine”, regarding wine. The "Organic Revolution", and the "General State" of organic farming will be vital for us. They are part of the collaboration with Assobio, Nomisma and Bologna Fiere, and are in a decisive phase, because although Italy is continuing to grow, the trend in other Countries is even better. For instance, Spain has now surpassed us in the organic agriculture area”, explained the President of Federbio.
“We need a long-term strategy covering the next ten years, based on PNRR (recovery and resilience plan) and investments of 300 million euros in 5 years on organic productions, the organic law in the process of being approved, and drafting CAP’s strategic plan. This is where the future will be. The EU "Farm to Fork" program has fixed the goal at 25% of organic agricultural areas, while Italy is aiming for 30%. We need to strengthen the role of farmers to strengthen the entire supply chain. There are measures, such as eco-schemes, and tools, both in the CAP and in the PNRR, that will help growing organic farming” concluded Maria Grazia Mammuccini, “but we need a plan of action for the next ten years. "Organic Revolution" will be essential to support the sector”.
Assobio, the other major trade association in the organic production world, has responded to Federbio’s appeal. Roberto Zanoni, president of Assobio reviewed the sector’s numbers, and indicated two elements of weakness. One is the growth of organic agriculture areas, and the second is the average expenditure Italian families allot to organic products, which is still very low compared to the rest of Europe. “The concept of “Rivoluzione Bio” is essential, and we will be organizing a conference on packaging, to show collaboration with the environment and sustainability. In our opinion, there are three fundamental issues to be addressed, which are: create a platform on the traceability of organic products authenticated by the Ministry of Agriculture; a tax credit for organic productions, because the consumer is burdened by the costs related to certifications, so a tax credit is needed to reduce the costs for those who, like us, are committed to respecting the environment; and, the market. We are number one in Europe in terms of number of employees, and in second position in the export world, counting 2.6 billion euros in turnover, 6% of Italian agro-food exports. It is a pity that we are no longer number one in this area, as Spain has surpassed us, and at the end of the year, France. This is not a good sign; we must increase land and consumption, two areas we are not doing well in, considering 60 euros per person, against 350 euros in Denmark but also 165 euros in France. We need to get into schools, starting at the cafeterias, where 5 million euros have been allocated and 14% of that is for communication. Companies are working together with the Government on communication, to reach schools and universities. We hope and aim to become number one in every area”, concluded Roberto Zanoni.
"Sana Slow Wine" will be held from February 26th to March 1st, 2022, and as Giancarlo Gariglio, curator together with Fabio Giavedoni of the "Slow Wine" guide, and reference to the soul of Slow Food wine, said, it “will be the first "public" moment of the Slow Wine Coalition, a solidarity and International network, created with a very specific purpose, and a radically different imprint from that of an association. First of all, it will bring together the three groups interested in the wine world, i.e., winemakers, enthusiasts and professionals, from restaurateurs to sommeliers to journalists, because we are living in a crucial moment. Thirty years ago we were concerned only with the quality of the wine in the glass. Then, the subject of sustainability was put on the table. Wine, however, has an essential role in at least two other fields - protecting the landscape, where winemakers have become sentinels of the territory, often in difficult areas from an orographic point of view, to guarantee biodiversity; and the relationship between winegrowers and employees, a social and cultural role of the highest order”, Gariglio explained.
“The foundations were laid in October 2020, at Sana, and from there we asked ourselves, why not create a coalition, which we decided to call “ Sana Slow Wine”, combining our two brands. We want to be very clear that Bologna Fiere will organize the event, and we are the art directors. It will be the first meeting point for the Coalition, a hybrid event, a bit like Terra Madre, which combines cultural insights and conference. The event will deal with all the most critical issues concerning the future of the supply chain, currently dedicated to display and tasting. Our aim is to bring a thousand producers to Bologna, and not only from Italy. On the contrary, the event will have a strong International appeal, and important collaborations. For instance, Federbio and Excellence, the group of 18 Italian wine importers and distributors who will guarantee the participation of producers from large, high level terroirs, a very important added value for an event, which focuses on wine as an instrument of cultural and economic growth for the territories”, concluded the curator of the Slow Food guide.