This year began with a boom for Italian food exports to China. This is what emerges from an analysis by Italian farmers’ association Coldiretti based on Istat data, reinforcing a trend that has been going on for years. In 2018, in fact, exports of Italian Food & Beverage to China had reached the historic record of 439 million euros. A value more than tripled in the last 10 years (+254%) with the progressive opening of the Asian giant to Western lifestyles. The most exported Italian product to China is by far wine, whose sales increased by 11% in 2019, followed by cheese – whose exports practically doubled (+95%) – olive oil, fruit, and confectionery.
ITALIAN FOOD ON THE SILK ROAD
“A further impulse – underlines Coldiretti – can come from the recent agreements between Italy and China for exports in the food sector, from oranges to frozen pork meat. Chinese borders have also been opened for Italian alfalfa, but as far as fresh fruit is concerned Italy can only export kiwis and citrus fruits at the moment, while apples and pears are still blocked and specific negotiations are underway”.