Only the Afghan crisis managed to keep the Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, away from the inauguration of Cibus, the staged agri-food fair in Parma from 31 August to 3 September. This is not only the 20th edition of the Italian food festival, it is also – and perhaps above all – the first major international fair to start again in Italy. For this there are many: in addition to Di Maio, also the Minister of Economic Development, Stefano Giorgetti, and that of Agriculture Stefano Patuanelli. And not only that: there are the big names in large-scale distribution such as Coop and Conad, the large agricultural associations – despite this being the food processing industry fair – Fipe representing the business of meals out of the home.
Two thousand companies, more than 40 thousand expected operators, 500 new products in the showcase: despite these numbers, everyone admits that it is a muted Cibus. Yet, among the stands and aisles – albeit less crowded than usual – there is a great desire to meet customers and distributors face to face again, both old and new. “Compared to other years we have fewer buyers, especially among those from the USA and China – says Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere di Parma – but on the other hand we have an incredible concentration of new products”. They range from Ice Cube’s ginger-flavored ice cubes to San Carlo pesto chips.
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“The agri-food sector is a fundamental sector for the Italian economy, which is worth 25% of GDP”, recalled the Minister Di Maio, linked via streaming to the Cibus inauguration ceremony. “Made in Italy production will close 2021 with a turnover of 154 billion euros, 8% more than the previous year”, said with great satisfaction Ivano Vacondio, president of Federalimentare, which is not only a major shareholder of the event but has also chosen the Parma fair as the scene of its annual assembly, which was also attended by the president of Confindustria, Carlo Bonomi.
The sector, while growing, is not exempt from major challenges. Starting with raw materials: «In our sector – said Vacondio – they have increased from 35% to 80%. To this must be added the 25% increase in the price of electricity, the cost of pallets tripled, that of naval transport more than doubled, as well as the prices of packaging. Even large retailers must take charge of these increases ”. It is a pity that the large-scale distribution is not at all in agreement: “Cost inflation is a misfortune – says the president of Coop Italia, Marco Pedroni – but if we increased prices, domestic demand would suffer a severe blow”. “And internal consumption – Francesco Pugliese, CEO of Conad recalled provocatively – is worth much more than 50 billion in exports”. The unknown factor of internal consumption also worries Alberto Frausin, president of Federdistribuzione: «They now represent 22% of GDP and have been falling for years. Despite being held during Covid, we are still below the levels of 2007 ».
Underlying every speech made in the corridors of Cibus, needless to say, there are the funds that the Pnrr will lead to the industry and how they will be distributed. Massimiliano Giansanti, president of Confagricoltura, for example is worried: «August was a month of discussions, now I expect concreteness from the government. Companies want facts ». More optimistic, on this front, Ettore Prandini, president of Coldiretti: «The direct funding of the NRP to the agri-food world currently amounts to 7 billion euros, but added to the indirect ones it reaches 20 billion. I am referring to the funds for infrastructures, fundamental to relaunch the competitiveness of made in Italy food: not so much the highways, but rather new ports, logistic platforms, high-speed freight. And then there are the plans for reclamation, for water basins, for photovoltaics ».