Wine districts drive agri-food exports to 5.6 billion euros in the third quarter of 2021

In the third quarter of 2021, exports (at current prices) of Italian agri-food districts continue on a growth path that has never stopped, not even at the height of the pandemic, and come close to 5.6 billion (+8.9% trend, +12.7% over the same period in 2019), as revealed by the latest report of the Agri-Food Districts Monitor of Banca Intesa Sanpaolo’s Studies and Research Department, signed by economist Rosa Maria Vitulano.
The values exported almost equaled those achieved in the second quarter of 2021, and represented the third best result ever (after the record set in the fourth quarter of 2020). The balance for the first nine months of 2021 thus reaches €16.4 billion, an unprecedented figure, up by +9.8% on a trend basis and +14.1% on the first nine months of 2019, significantly approaching the target of €20 billion by the end of the year, a record figure already achieved in 2020. The wine districts have put the negative result of 2020 behind them and achieved double-digit growth in the first nine months of 2021 compared to both 2020 (+14.6%) and 2019 (+11.7%). The greatest contribution comes from the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato Wines district, which grew by over 200 million compared to the first nine months of 2019 (+17.9% year-on-year, +16.3% compared to 2019). Excellent performance also for the Wines of the Florentine and Sienese Hills, which achieve 87 million more exports than pre-crisis (+23.9% trend and +17% on the same period in 2019).

Exports of agricultural districts are booming, with an overall increase of 500 million euros compared to the period January-September 2020. All the districts are above pre-crisis levels: in particular, the Piedmontese hazelnut and fruit (+34% trend and +35.6% compared to 2019) and the Pistoia nursery-gardening district (+37.3% and +39.3% respectively) stand out. Excellent performance in the first 9 months of 2021 also for the pasta and desserts districts, primarily Alba and Cuneo desserts (+15.3% year-on-year, +13.6% on 2019) and the pasta sector of Parma food (+3.1% and +31.3% respectively). There was also a strong recovery in the meat and cured meats districts in the period January-September 2021 (+16.4%) after a substantially even 2020. Growth is driven by meat from Verona (+16.7% year-on-year and +22.7% compared to the first 9 months of 2019) and cured meats from the Modena area (+20% and +12.5% respectively).

The canned food sector suffered in comparison with a record 2020 (-5.4% trend), but in the first 9 months of 2021, it was higher than in the same period of 2019 (+4.6%). Growth slowed down in the Foggia fruit and vegetable canning sector (44 million less than in 2019). Same dynamics for the rice sector (-6.7% trend but +5.8% over the first 9 months of 2019). The oil sector was essentially unchanged in the first 9 months of 2021 (-0.9% trend; +6% on the same period in 2019). Dairy districts also performed very well (+17.5%), recovering strongly from the pre-pandemic (+13.8%); coffee districts grew by double digits (+12.9% and +20.4% respectively); the seafood chain achieved a positive result (+19.2% year-on-year) even though it did not recover the gap on 2019 (-4.1%). Lastly, as regards the destination countries of Italian agri-food districts’ exports, in the first 9 months of 2021 positive results were recorded towards all the main trade partners: first and foremost Germany (+5.7%), the United States (+16.2%) and France (+9.6%). Flows to the United Kingdom were down (-8.7%), which, as of 1 January 2021, is no longer part of the customs and tax territory of the European Union.