Agribusiness districts, exports good in 2023. Wine the absolute leader, despite a small decline

District logic is proving increasingly successful. This is once again stated by Intesa Sanpaolo’s Monitor of Italian agrifood districts, with the final 2023 figure counting nearly 27 billion euros in sales on foreign markets and a progress of 4.5%, 1.2 billion more than the previous year. The result is in line with that recorded by total Italian agrifood exports, which marked a +5.8% in 2023 (and districts account for 43% of this). The only supply chain that shows a slightly negative sign in the annual evolution is the wine supply chain, which partially recovers in the last quarter of 2023 and realizes in the year as a whole only a slight decrease in value (-0.7% on 2022), determined mainly by the backwardness in North American markets (United States -7.4% and Canada -9%). Among the districts, by far, the most “valuable” is confirmed to be the Wines of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, with 2 billion euros in exports (-4.4%), ahead of the Desserts of Alba and Cuneo, with 1.8 billion euros (+5%), and the Food of Parma, at 1.6 billion euros (+15.7%), on the podium.
Looking at wine, by value, they are followed by the Veronese Wine District, with 1.1 billion euros (-1.9%), that of Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, just over a billion euros (+4.3%), and again that of the Wines of the Florentine and Sienese Hills, with 852 million euros (-4.5%), that of the Wines and Distillates of Trento, with 444 million euros (+2.3%), and again that of the Wines and Distillates of Bolzano, with 247 million euros (+6.6%) and that of the Wines and Distillates of Friuli, with 245 million euros (+9.2%). And again, it is followed by that of the Wines of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, at 219 million euros (+5.2%), and the Wines and Distillates of Brescia, at 155 million euros (+7%), and the Wines and Spirits of Western Sicily, at 133 million euros (-3.5%). With the negative performance very much linked to the overseas trend, “although it should be noted that in past years U.S. buyers had made significant stocks of Italian wine, also favored by a strong dollar and a favorable exchange rate effect”, Intesa Sanpaolo again recalls.
Slowing down, but remaining in positive territory, the pasta and desserts supply chain: the slight decline in the fourth quarter (-0.6% trend) does not affect the positive balance for the year 2023 (+4.8%), or 214 million more sales in foreign markets. Of these, as much as 142 million came from the pasta and sweets segment of Parma Food. Excellent performance, as mentioned above, also for Desserts of Alba and Cuneo, with a +5% in 2023; on the other hand, the pasta and desserts divisions of the two Campania districts register a setback: -4% for Neapolitan Alimentare; -10.4% for Avellino Alimentare.
On the other hand, the agricultural districts’ supply chain recovers, thanks to the excellent result of the fourth quarter 2023 (+14.2%), which brings the balance for the entire year back to positive (+3.2% on 2022). Excellent recovery for Romagna fruit and vegetables: despite the damage produced by the flood and spring frost, it closes 2023 in the positive (+1.7% on 2022). Strong growth in exports in 2023 for the Agriculture District of South-Eastern Sicily, which includes within it the production areas of Pachino Tomato Igp (+38.4%). Excellent results also for Agro Pontino Fruit and Vegetables, with a leap of 29 million (+14%), of which 22 million went to Germany (+22%). Fruit and vegetables from the Bari area (-3.3%), and Apples from Alto Adige (-1.8%) retreat slightly. In 2023, very positive results were also achieved for the canning industry (+10.1%), determined mainly by the main district in the sector, Preserves of Nocera (+10.3%). Excellent performances were also achieved by the Parma Food (+24%) and Fruits and Vegetables and Preserves sectors of Foggia (+21%), while only the Avellino Food (-2%) canning sector contracted slightly.
Lights and shadows, on the other hand, within the meat supply chain, which as a whole records +5.6% trend growth in 2023, but hides contrasting dynamics among its constituent districts: double-digit progress for Meats of Verona (+12%), Salumi of Parma (+12.7%), and Salumi of Alto-Adige (+14.3%), which, added to the good result of Salumi of Modena (+5.9%), manage to offset the declines of Meats and Salumi of Cremona and Mantua (-13.3%), and Salumi of Reggio Emilia (-11%). The poultry sector seems to have entered a phase of normalization, while the world pork market is still affected by issues related to the spread of swine fever.
Overall positive dynamics also for the dairy chain (+2.6% in 2023): slight contractions in the districts of Lombardy (-2.1%) and Reggio Emilia (-2.7%) are contrasted by the good performance of the Parma district (+11.5%), the Sardinian district (+9.8%) and Mozzarella di bufala from Campania (+7.4%).
There is no halt to the growth in value of the oil districts (+15.1%) due in particular to the contribution of Tuscan Oil, the main district in the supply chain (+17.8%), but also to the exploit of the olive oil sector of the olive oil and pasta district of Bari (+30%). Substantially stable is the Umbrian Oil (-0.9%). On the price front, 2023 was a record year in olive oil listings: low production (including from Spain) caused the producer price of Italian Evo oil to rise by 50%.
In the rice supply chain, both districts achieve double-digit value growth: Pavia +15.9% and Vercelli +26.1%. Low global production caused by the drought, combined with India’s blockade of exports, has pushed white rice prices to highs in 2023.
Progress also for the coffee supply chain (+5.3%), where the Coffee and Confectionery district of Naples stands out (+13.7%). Trieste’s Coffee shows progress of 8% in 2023; Turin’s Coffee, Confectionery and Chocolate district also does well (+2.4%). The 2023 budget is also positive for the Polesine and Venetian Seafood district (+6.1%): progress towards Germany (+21%) and Croatia (+13.5%) compensates for declines in the French (-12%) and Spanish (-3%) markets. Germany is confirmed as the leading trade partner for agri-food district products: the slowdown in the German economy in 2023 has not reduced sales to this market (+6.7% in 2023, to 4.9 billion euros and a weight of 18.2% of the total). By contrast, flows to the United States closed in slightly negative territory (-1.4%, to €3.2 billion), while they grew in France (+7.5%, to €3 billion) and the United Kingdom (+6.6%, to €2.1 billion). Emerging economies, which account for 20% of total agri-food district exports, collectively mark a progress of 2.9% in 2023 (compared to +4.9% in advanced economies).
“The great appreciation abroad of Italian food and beverages continues to grow”, comments Massimiliano Cattozzi, head of Intesa Sanpaolo’s Agribusiness Department, “making it increasingly in the interest of companies to strengthen their presence in foreign markets. To serve this development and competitiveness, we have allocated 20 billion euros to the sector thanks to the agreement signed with the Ministry of Agriculture together with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. An intervention that can be accessed thanks to funding lines such as Crescita Agri, part of the program “Your future is our business”, dedicated to on-farm investments that can be modulated on the production cycle of the supply chain to which they belong for energy efficiency solutions and international growth”.