New record for Made in Italy food: exports up + 8.9% in the first 5 months of 2021

The positive trend of Made in Italy food continues and seems to be unstoppable. The sector has reported a new historical record in exports, soaring to +8.9% in 2021. In addition, it was also the only sector to grow in the previous year, reaching 46.1 billion euros in value. The food sector has confirmed it is one of the driving forces of the Italian economy and, unlike the other symbols of “Italian excellence”, such as fashion and furniture, has not collapsed under the hard blows of the Pandemic. The analysis of the Italian farmers association, Coldiretti, based on the Italian statistics agency, ISTAT data related to foreign trade in the first 5 months of 2021, revealed that in spite of the challenges trade has faced and the global lockdown in catering, the food sector has continued to grow.
The main reason is that Italians have returned to cooking meals at home, meaning that there has been a boom in Made in Italy recipes, which have also gone beyond National borders. Furthermore, the health emergency has encouraged changing to a healthier diet and consumers have decided to favor products included on the Mediterranean diet. In the immediate future, we can look confidently at the positive impact of foreign sales due to the Italian victory at the European Football Championship, which has given prestige to the image of Italian food.
One of our main customers at the Made in Italy table is the United States, which is in second place, but has registered the highest increase in demand (+14.2%). The increase is due to the March 11, 2021 agreement between the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the US president, Joe Biden, to suspend all tariffs relating to the Airbus-Boeing disputes. Coldiretti underlined that the agreement “eliminated the additional 25% duties on exports to the US of Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Gorgonzola, Asiago, Fontina and Provolone, but also salamis, mortadella, crustaceans, citrus molluscs, juices, cordials and liqueurs, such as bitters and limoncello”.
The trend was also positive in Germany, which is in first position among the Countries importing Italian food, reporting +5.4% increase, the same as France, which is in third place. Great Britain, instead, holds fourth place, where due to Brexit, and administrative burdens, food exports collapsed to -8.4%. “Italy is starting up again primarily due to its strengths in the agro-food industry that have shown resilience in the face of the crisis, and will play a driving role for the entire economy”, said Ettore Prandini, president of Coldiretti. “Supporting the growth trend of Made in Italy food and wine will also benefit Italy's structural delays and unlock all the infrastructures to improve connections between the South and North of the Country, as well as the rest of the world, by sea and high-speed rail, and a network of connections composed of airports, trains and cargo.
Each year, this deficiency represents damages to our Country, creating fewer export opportunities. Further, we must add the higher cost of the "logistics bill", linked to transportation and handling of goods”. We can work on this "gap" through the Recovery Plan, which according to Prandini is, “a unique and not to be missed opportunity to overcome accumulated delays, and increase the competitiveness of companies on domestic and foreign markets”.