In 2020, Prosciutto San Daniele PDO production marked record performances, in line with expectations. Despite a drop in exports due to the pandemic consequences, the cured meat confirms itself as one of the main drivers of the Italian food sector. The total production reached 2,546,000 pork legs sent for processing, coming from 54 slaughterhouses that process the raw material supplied by 3,641 Italian authorized farms.
According to data provided by the protection Consortium, about 18% of total production was destined for exports as the total turnover reached 310 million euros. Export figures, however, still testify to the worldwide recognition of Prosciutto San Daniele PDO. Sales reached a volume of 4 million kg of ham destined for the market outside Italy. About 57% of this production was destined for the European Union countries. The top importing countries are France (with a 26.1% share of the market), the United States (16.5%), Germany (15.3%), and Australia (12.3%). These are followed by Belgium (6.1%), Switzerland (5.7%), Austria (2.2%) and, to a lesser extent, Brazil, Canada, Japan, the UK, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
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Signs of appreciation are also coming from the growth of Eastern European markets. In fact, 2020 sales data are remarkable in Romania (+194%), Poland (+82%), Slovenia (+49%), Ukraine (+46%), and the Czech Republic (+15%). The total production of pre-sliced trays shows a constantly growing trend. Last year it was over 21.3 million certified trays, equal to 398,968 hams, for a total of over 1.85 million kg, 22% of which were destined for foreign markets.