The theme of Agribusiness is increasingly central. Intesa Sanpaolo has created a management dedicated to this world. “Agri-food is undoubtedly a strategic sector for Italy: it represents 11% of our GDP and employs about 1.5 million people and has proven to be able to grow even in times of crisis, thanks to the same structural characteristics that have determined its success on world markets »says Renzo Simonato, Head of the Intesa Sanpaolo Agribusiness Department.
What are the objectives of this new division?
«Born following the strengthening of the Banca dei Territori, it is a center of excellence that aims to seize the enormous opportunities. Based in Pavia, it can count on 1,000 specialists serving around 80,000 customers and 250 operating points, of which 85 are branches, concentrated in the areas with a greater agricultural vocation to enhance their peculiarities and excellence ».
From your observatory, what are the trends that will characterize the growth prospects in the coming years?
“The Italian agri-food supply chain is at the top of the world for quality and food safety, and for some time entrepreneurs have started a path based on sustainability, but there are margins to make our products even greener in a circular perspective, through the rational use of natural resources and the production of energy in the company. Precision agriculture can play a decisive role in improving the yield and quality of production using fewer inputs (water, energy, fertilizers), and the traceability of the process and therefore productivity. Organic is another trend in the sector to ride, flanked by a growing sensitivity of consumers to green information on the label, with indications on the sustainability of the product “.
Do you see a role for e-commerce too?
“It will play an important role for the future: in a context in which online sales are destined to grow, this channel will be central to the development of the typical / local market, as long as it is accompanied by investments in infrastructure and digital technology”.
How do you position yourself towards agri-food companies?
«The bank-company relationship must be oriented towards transparency, dialogue and continuous comparison, only in this way can companies face important moments in their corporate history with confidence. The pandemic has introduced new changes. Our role is also to encourage the transition to the new through professional advice and ad hoc credit, for example with s-loans, financing for sustainable investments ».