Italy’s extra virgin olive oil led the country’s food and beverage export growth in 2024, with sales soaring by 45%—outpacing cured meats (+10%) and dairy products (+9%). Yet wine remained Italy’s most valuable export, generating €8.1 billion.
According to Coldiretti, the primary Italian farmers’ association, agri-food exports hit an all-time high of €69.1 billion in 2024, based on Istat data. Growth extended across key sectors, with fresh and processed fruit and vegetables up 6% and pasta rising 5%.
Wine topped the export rankings, followed by fresh fruit and vegetables (€6.5 billion), processed fruit and vegetables (€5.7 billion), cheese (€5.4 billion), pasta (€4.3 billion), olive oil (€2.5 billion), cured meats (€2.3 billion), and seafood (€1 billion).
Coldiretti sees Italian agri-food exports on track to reach €100 billion annually by 2030. Yet this optimism is tempered by the looming threat of U.S. tariffs. A proposed 25% levy on Italian food and beverage exports could dent sales in the country’s second-largest foreign market, forcing American consumers to pay an estimated €2 billion more—nearly €500 million for wine, €240 million for olive oil, €170 million for pasta, and €120 million for cheese.