The dawn of 2024 heralds a fresh pinnacle for Italian food and beverage exports, boasting a robust +14% surge in January compared to the corresponding period last year, despite prevailing international strains. This revelation stems from Coldiretti, an Italian farmers association, parsing Istat data. Notably, this trajectory stands in stark contrast to the broader slump in Italian exports, which dipped by -0.2%.
The ascension of Italian culinary exports is notably pronounced in the United States, the paramount non-EU market, witnessing a remarkable year-on-year escalation of +31% in January 2024. Similarly, double-digit upswings are observed in the United Kingdom (+26%), while German (+9%) and French (+3%) appetites for Italian F&B remain unwavering. Amongst emerging markets, China stands out with a staggering +52% surge, closely followed by Russia with a respectable +14% increase.
These findings substantiate the trajectory that culminated in Italy’s historic 2023 achievement in food exports, surpassing the €64 billion threshold. This feat is underpinned by Italy’s agricultural landscape, renowned as the greenest in Europe, featuring 80,000 operators in the organic sector, an unrivaled array of 325 recognized PDO and PGI specialties, along with 526 PDO/PGI wines, and a rich tapestry of 5,547 traditional food products.
Furthermore, Italy commands preeminence in European rice and durum wheat production, along with a plethora of quintessential Mediterranean Diet vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, artichokes, chicory, endives, celery, and fennel. In the orchards, Italy reigns supreme with bountiful yields of apples, pears, cherries, table grapes, kiwis, hazelnuts, and chestnuts.