Italian food export showed a further leap forward in 2016. According to the latest Ismea (Italian Institute of Services for Agricultural and Food Market) report, the sales boom in August (+13,4%) has been confirmed in September (+5,7% on a yearly basis). In the first nine months of 2016 the turnover of Italian food export has reached €28 billion. Sales trend is steadily increasing in value, both for agricultural (+5,4%) and agro-industrial products (+5,7%). On the whole, 2016 has been even better than 2015: Italian food export increased in value by 3,3%, particularly thanks to processed products (+3,7%). The data confirm that the food sector has a 9,1% share of the total Italian export in value. Italian food and drink sales continue to grow abroad, and they’re doing better than other Italian products whose sales trend in the first nine months of 2016 has been only slightly positive (+0,5 on a yearly basis). According to Ismea, 2016 should show a growth which is halved compared to 2015 (when it was +7,5% on 2014). A positive result in the light of the global trade sharp deceleration, the rise in value of the Euro against the Dollar and Pound Sterling and, last but not least, the absence of boost events like EXPO 2015.
DESTINATION MARKETS – Italian agricultural products’ sales in EU countries – which represent 80% of Italy’s total agricultural export in value – increased by +5,6%. Sales in non-EU countries on the other side decreased by -11,8%, mainly due to the reduction in sales in Turkey (-42,8%). As for food products, sales in EU (+5,6%) and non-EU countries increased (+3,4% compared to 2015) despite falloffs in Turkey, China and Mercosur. Lastly, Italian food and agricultural products export is picking up in Russia.
