Over the past 10 years, exporting agribusiness from Italy has been a steadily growing activity and a source of opportunities for many companies that want to pursue internationalization.
The numbers speak for themselves: between 2019 and 2022, agribusiness exports increased by 34%, surpassing the 60 billion mark in 2022 (source Ismea).
Important values, enshrining the importance of this market and its pivotal role in our country's economy.
According to the analysis of Coldiretti based on Istat data, Italian agribusiness exports reach 64 billion in 2023, an increase of 6% over the previous year.
The target countries are for ⅓ Germany, France and the United States, ⅓ is aimed at non-EU countries, and the remaining ⅓ is other EU nations.
What is the reason for this positive trend?
It is certainly supported by green agriculture, which makes sustainability one of its strengths.
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.
Italy's agrifood exports have therefore not been affected by international crises such as the conflict in Ukraine, and could be further boosted with specific interventions to improve logistics on the ground, modernizing it and making it even more efficient in foreign trade.
When talking about exports in relation to food products from the Bel Paese, it is interesting to note that in recent years there has been a gradual increase in turnover (as much as 28% according to 2022 data referring to the last five years, source The 24 Hour Sun) while the volume of products sold remained the same.
What does this seemingly contradictory trend indicate?
Certainly this is due to the recognized value of Italian food and wine products, which are capable of establishing themselves on a global scale for their undoubted quality, but also to inflation, which has impacted prices, raising them significantly.
An interesting figure is given by wheat, which in 2022 increased sales by 98% against +211% in sales: a clear indication that even where there is an increase in volume, there remains a greater increase in price, complicit in this case by the shortage of certain raw materials caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Pasta, Italy's top export food product, increased its sales volume by 7.9% in 2022, against a price increase of 40%.
Thus, a trend that still rewards the Italian agribusiness sector, a sector that knows no setbacks both inside and outside national borders.
The outlook for the new year, awaiting the 2023 data, can only be positive, although the fight against counterfeiting will have to be strengthened; we are referring to many typical Italian products, such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Prosecco, which are passed off as such even though they are made and sold abroad with names that echo the original product but have nothing to do with the homegrown realization.
The sale of Italian food and beverages abroad represents as we have seen a steadily growing sector.
Even the pandemic has not curbed this trend, meaning that the consumption of food products from our country is not tied to special occasions or meals out, but has become part of the daily diet in many nations.
Contributing to this has been the adherence by many companies to strictly organic production standards, which may justify a price increase in some cases.
Certainly it is quality that makes agribusiness exports so important to 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 revenues.
In 2023, Italian agri-food exports reached €64 billion, an increase of 6% compared to 2022, according to Coldiretti’s analysis based on Istat data. Between 2019 and 2022, growth was 34%, with the figure exceeding €60 billion in 2022 (source: Ismea).
Italian agri-food exports are divided into three equal parts. One third goes to Germany, France and the United States, one third to other countries of the European Union and one third to countries outside the EU. This distribution shows a strong weight of European markets, but also a significant openness towards destinations outside the EU.
Growth is sustained thanks to the strength of Made in Italy, recognized for its wine, traditional products and the Mediterranean diet, such as pasta, rice and vegetables, and for agriculture that is attentive to sustainability. The consumption of Italian food has become part of the daily diet of many countries, so it does not depend solely on special occasions or restaurants.
Sales have increased by 28% in five years (data 2022, Il Sole 24 Ore), in unchanged volumes for two reasons: the recognized value of Italian food and wine quality and inflation, which has driven up prices. Wheat sales in 2022 were +98% in value and +211% in turnover.
In 2022, pasta, the flagship product of Italian food exports, increased its sales volume by 7.9%, while prices rose by 40%. This data confirms that, even when volumes increase, the price increase weighs more heavily in a context marked by a shortage of raw materials due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The main obstacles are counterfeiting and still-to-be-improved logistics. Products such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosecco are imitated abroad under names that resemble the original, but without any connection to Italian production. Therefore, stronger efforts are needed to combat counterfeiting and interventions to make logistics more modern and efficient.
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