In 2022, Italy’s agribusiness sector posted revenues of €251.1 billion, marking a 31% increase since 2015. Of this, €176.7 billion came from food and beverage products, and €74.4 billion from agriculture. These figures are drawn from a recent study by The European House-Ambrosetti, unveiled at the eighth forum “The Roadmap for the Future of Food & Beverage” in Bormio.
The report, cited by Corriere della Sera, reveals that when factoring in distribution, Horeca, and intermediation, total revenues in the sector reach €586.9 billion. The supply chain, employing 3.7 million workers, contributes €334.5 billion in added value—up 2.6% from 2021—divided among core agri-food (€66.6 billion), intermediation, distribution, and Horeca (€67.5 billion), and related upstream and downstream sectors (€200.4 billion).
“In a period of continuous crises, from the health emergency to international tensions, the quality of Made-in-Italy agri-food production has enabled sustained growth. Italy leads the EU in certified PDO and PGI products, with 890 in total: 326 food items worth €8.9 billion and 564 wine products exceeding €11 billion,” says Valerio De Molli, Managing Partner and CEO of The European House-Ambrosetti.
In 2022, Italian food and beverage exports reached €62.2 billion, maintaining an annual growth rate of 6.4% from 2010 to 2023. The share of agri-food exports in total national exports has steadily climbed from 8.2% in 2010 to 9.9% in 2023.
Wine remains the top-exported product, representing 12.5% of Italian agribusiness exports with a value of €7.8 billion, followed by bakery and dairy products. Italy holds the global lead in several categories: pasta (45% market share), bitters and spirits (41.5%), tomato puree (27%), and processed vegetables (20%).
Benedetta Brioschi, Partner at The European House-Ambrosetti, emphasizes Italy’s leading position among European competitors in terms of the unit value of exports. In 2023, the average value of an Italian product was €244 per 100 kg, compared to €210 for Spanish products, €168 for German, and €135 for French. The study identifies Germany as Italy’s main foreign trade partner (€10.1 billion in agri-food exports), followed by France (€7.2 billion), and the USA (€6.7 billion).
