Made in Italy Italian agri-food flies abroad. Not only should it break through the famous ceiling of 50 billion euros in exports by the end of the year, “but if in the last ten years domestic consumption has dropped by 10%, in the same period exports have increased by 92%”, he said. said Ivano Vacondio, president of Federalimentare, speaking at the round table dedicated to Italian food & wine during the second day of the Made in Italy Summit 2021. On the road of the Italian race, however, there are some dangers. The first is the increase in the cost of raw materials: “We are a country of processors – recalled Vacondio – we import raw materials, and I fear that these increases are not a bubble but an inflationary push destined to increase”.
The other obstacle is called Italian sounding: «As we grow, imitations grow more than we do – said Luigi Scordamaglia, managing director of the Fondazione Filiera Italia – in the US, for example, four of every five Italian products are fake. We must legally supervise our productions ». Foreign markets are also fundamental according to Marco De Matteis, CEO of De Matteis Agroalimentare, which produces Armando pasta in Campania: “Exports are important for expanding turnover, from the US to Northern Europe, and Asian markets represent the greatest challenge ».
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«Wine should reach 7 billion in exports this year – recalled Stefano Ricagno, senior vice president for the Consortium for the protection of Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti Docg -. An effective way to promote is to focus on food and wine tourism, which is also a tool to combat Italian sounding as it makes foreign consumers know what the real made in Italy product is ».
“Wherever I went in the world, from Dubai to Germany, when it comes to Italy, eyes widen and people smile – says Melissa Forti, Italian pastry chef, chef and entrepreneur abroad -. Italy is synonymous with lifestyle and quality ».