In the last 10 years, exporting agri-food products from Italy has been a constantly growing activity and a source of opportunities for many companies seeking to embark on an internationalization path.
The numbers speak for themselves: between 2019 and 2022, agri-food exports increased by 341%, surpassing the 60-billion-euro mark in 2022 (source Ismea).
Important values, which seal the importance of this market and its crucial role for our country's economy.
According to the analysis of Coldiretti According to Istat data, Italian agri-food exports are projected to reach 64 billion in 2023, representing a 61% increase compared to the previous year.
The destination countries are ⅓ Germany, France, and the United States, ⅓ is aimed at non-EU countries, while the remaining ⅓ is represented by other European Union nations.
What is this positive trend due to?
It is certainly supported by green agriculture, which makes sustainability one of its strong points.
In addition, the Made in Italy remains a mark of excellence, particularly for wines, traditional products, and those characteristic of the Mediterranean diet such as pasta, rice, and many varieties of vegetables.
Italian agri-food exports have therefore not been affected by international crises such as the conflict in Ukraine, and could be further enhanced with specific interventions to improve domestic logistics, modernizing it and making it even more efficient in international trade.
When discussing exports of Italian food products, it is interesting to note that in recent years there has been a steady increase in revenue (a full 28% according to 2022 data covering the last five years, source The 24 Hour Sunwhile the volume of products sold remained the same.
What does this seemingly contradictory trend indicate?
This is certainly due to the recognized value of Italian food and wine products, which are able to establish themselves on a global scale for their undoubted quality, but also to inflation, which has impacted prices, increasing them significantly.
An interesting point is the case of wheat, which in 2022 saw a 98% increase in sales volume alongside a 211% rise in revenue: a clear indication that even when there is an increase in volume, the price increase remains greater—a trend driven in this case by the shortage of certain raw materials caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Pasta, Italy’s leading export food product, saw its sales volume increase by 7.91% in 2022, while prices rose by 40.1%.
So, a trend that nevertheless rewards the Italian agri-food sector, a sector that knows no setbacks both within and outside national borders.
The outlook for the new year, while awaiting 2023 data, can only be positive, even though the fight against counterfeiting will need to be strengthened. We refer to many typical Italian products, such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Prosecco, which are passed off as such even if they are produced and sold abroad under names that echo the original product but have nothing to do with Italian production.
The sale of Italian food and drinks abroad represents, as we have seen, a sector in constant growth.
The pandemic did not slow down this trend either: this means that the consumption of food products from our country is not linked to special occasions or meals away from home, but has become part of the daily diet in many nations.
This has been contributed to by the adherence of many companies to strictly organic production standards, which in some cases can justify a price increase.
Certainly, it is quality that makes agri-food exports so important for our country's economy, and there are many companies that could follow a path of internationalization In this area.
Therefore the team Octagona is available to provide you with professional support at every necessary step, with the aim of enabling your company to sell abroad successfully, reducing costs and achieving the best revenue.
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