The ministry of agricultural, food and forestry policies (Mipaaf) and Philip Morris Italia renewed the agreements for the promotion of the Italian tobacco supply chain for 2022 as well; a supply chain that alone employs over 50,000 people from cultivation to processing. Thanks to the agreement, Philip Morris Italia will invest up to 100 million euros to support the cultivation of the two types of tobacco of which Italy is the European leader in terms of volumes produced: Burley and Virginia Bright. This is the highest investment in the Italian tobacco supply chain by a private company and is part of an investment plan of up to 500 million euros over five years, which involves approximately 50% of the total production of Italian leaf tobacco. with the involvement of Coldiretti and ONT – National Tobacco Organization Italy.
Hundreds: We renew our commitments to support the supply chain
“With the agreement signed today in Italy, the Italian tobacco industry can count on a continuity of investments that is guaranteed thanks to multi-year agreements” – said Gian Marco Centinaio, Undersecretary for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies. «We invest in agriculture, in tobacco growers and in our country. Also for 2022, the commitments made in previous years are renewed and the sector is supported in facing the challenges that await it, so that it can transform itself, be increasingly sustainable and maintain its competitiveness. This is why it is important to define and implement integrated agro-industrial chain models “.
Innovative products without combustion
“Today’s agreement confirms our desire to support tobacco growing in Italy in the long term to make it increasingly competitive in a rapidly changing sector” – commented Marco Hannappel, President and CEO of Philip Morris Italia, who added: «Agriculture represents the foundations of an integrated Italian supply chain, which also includes 4.0 manufacturing and services, totally oriented towards the production of innovative products without combustion. Collaboration with Italian tobacco growers is a fundamental element in the transformation of our sector towards a smoke-free future ».
Innovative solutions
With the agreement, Mipaaf and Philip Morris Italy recognize the importance of promoting innovative solutions that contribute to the eco-energy and environmental sustainability of crops, in particular by reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, as well as reducing CO2 emissions also thanks to the ” use of renewable energy sources, such as biogas and photovoltaics. The agreement also aims to guarantee the competitiveness of the sector, supporting the training of young farmers and more generally the development of agriculture 4.0. In more than ten years Philip Morris Italy which has generated investments in Italian agriculture for over two billion euros, allowing the development of about 1,000 tobacco companies, active in Campania, Umbria, Veneto and Tuscany.