Mutti, the king of tomato preserves: “Sector at risk, it will be a bloodbath. Ad hoc interventions are needed “

But do we really risk not finding tomato preserves and other similar products from the shelves of supermarkets? Looking at the alarming data released this morning by Confcommercio, there is nothing to be happy about. On the contrary. There are 120,000 companies at risk of closure and 320,000 jobs that could jump due to the increasingly prohibitive costs of energy. And one of the most troubled sectors is the food, retail and wholesale sectors.
One of the most affected areas is that of tomato processing and conservation. The alarm was raised by Francesco Mutti, head of the food group of the same name, in an interview with Asnkronos / Labitalia. In the tomato processing and conservation sector, “we had a first explosion of costs, in an absolutely violent way, linked to the theme of energy, packaging, in late autumn 2022 but which reflected on the 2022 campaign. the explosion of energy costs in recent months. It will be a bloodbath, I believe that many of the companies in the sector risk not making it forward. For the sector, an ad hoc intervention is needed »says Mutti. The CEO of the homonymous group leader in the tomato processing sector adds: «We are talking – continues Mutti – about putting a limit on the price of gas, we are talking about many things. The problem is that our sector uses energy from July 20 to September 20 and if you look at the trend in the price of gas, you understand what it means to be exposed to a production that starts on July 20 and cannot be postponed, blocked or slowed down because tomatoes cannot stay in the field for days waiting for the problems of an economic nature linked to gas to be resolved », Mutti attacks.
The increases that will come
«We estimate an increase in the gas bill of around 400-500% compared to last year, if compared to 2020 we are talking about 1200-1300%. It is as if you had gone to eat a pizza two years ago and paid 9 euros for it and returned to eat it two years after you had paid 120 euros for it … ». And he adds: “An element like that of gas which was important in our income statement but not dramatic today has become a cost item that is absolutely out of control for exogenous reasons”.
What they ask of the future government
“As for the new government that will come out of the elections, I believe that the experience of the current executive has been extremely constructive, with the ability not to make big proclamations but to be able to understand exactly what the needs were and to give answers. Undoubtedly one of the issues on the table is the reduction of the fiscal core, because in times of great inflation it is important that those who work can benefit more from their work and not be an exorbitant cost for companies “. Thus, on the political elections of September 25, Mutti underlines: «Legislative certainty and clarity from a fiscal point of view are crucial for a healthy development of the economy together with legality. This is the fertile ground in which companies can grow and develop ».