The closure for the whole of April of table and counter service in bars, trattorias, restaurants, pizzerias and agritourisms costs dearly to the made in Italy food industry, with wines, beers and unsold food for an estimated value of 1.5 billion over the month. The estimates come from Coldiretti who, he remembers, suffering along with the restaurateurs are tens of thousands of farmers, breeders, fishermen, winegrowers and cheesemakers. In some sectors, such as fish and wine, catering even represents the main marketing channel by turnover. But high-end products from wine to cured meats and cheeses have also been affected.
The reduction in demand for products by the catering sector weighs on almost one farm out of five (18%), argues Coldiretti. Among the concerns of agricultural entrepreneurs there is also the increase in production costs (7.5%) concerning raw materials, from energy products to feed for livestock, while 6.9% report the lack of liquidity for meet current expenses. 9.5% of farms even believe that it is not possible to return to the situation prior to the Covid emergency. Yet, despite the difficulties during the pandemic – explains Coldiretti – more than four out of ten farms (40.8%) have not received any type of state or European economic support or other forms of aid.
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“The global emergency caused by Covid has brought out a widespread awareness of the strategic value represented by food and the necessary guarantees of quality and safety – said the president of Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini -. To seize the historic opportunity of the Recovery Plan, we have developed and proposed in time concrete projects that can be immediately set up for the agri-food sector with a decisive turn towards the green revolution, the ecological and digital transition, capable of offering one million green jobs. within the next 10 years “.