Italy’s vegetable sector is facing a growing dependence on foreign supply, with imports rising sharply over the past five years, while exports and domestic consumption are showing cautious but significant signs of recovery.
According to Fruitimprese, vegetable imports have increased by 50% over the last five years, driven largely by the production cost gap with countries such as Spain and North Africa, and in some cases by the technological advantage of Northern Europe.
Early potatoes now arrive from Egypt, late varieties from France; tomatoes are imported from Morocco and North Africa; carrots increasingly come from France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Products that once positioned Italy as a leading producer are now increasingly cultivated abroad.
“The risk,” warns Davide Vernocchi, Head of the Fruit and Vegetable Sector at Fedagripesca Confcooperative cooperative, “is losing entire traditional production chains that we may never be able to recover.”
A symbolic example is the carrot sector. Based on Istat data processed by Fruitimprese, carrot imports in the first nine months of 2025 more than doubled (+117%). Only a few years ago, with 11,000 hectares under cultivation, Italy imported carrots worth €9 million while exporting €99 million (source: Ismea data).
At the same time, Italy continues to hold European leadership in vegetable and aromatic seed production, with 42,500 hectares dedicated to seed crops, according to Assosementi. Emilia-Romagna ranks first with 14,112 hectares, followed by Puglia (10,474 hectares) and Marche (6,264 hectares). Molise and Basilicata stand out, recording growth of over 30%.
Structural factors behind the decline in domestic production include climate change and the progressive reduction of available crop protection tools. “In the EU countries, alternatives to control insects and fungi continue to decrease,” stresses Marco Salvi, President of Fruitimprese, “and next year, around ten active substances risk being further restricted or withdrawn.”
On the trade front, Italy’s fruit and vegetable exports in the first nine months of 2025 rose by 13.2% in value and 7.8% in volume. However, this was not enough to offset the weight of imports, leaving the trade balance negative by €39 million.
Despite this, outlooks remain positive. According to Pietro Mauro, Director of Fruitimprese, prospects are “encouraging”: exports reached 2,893,474 tonnes, worth over €4.7 billion, supported in part by frost damage that affected production in Turkey.
Apples and kiwifruit remain the sector’s main drivers. Apples continue to hold a global leadership position, with growing opportunities in markets such as India and Brazil. Table grapes, however, are facing difficulties, penalized by adverse weather conditions that have compromised quality.
Finally, positive signals are also emerging from domestic consumption. According to CSO Italy, fruit purchases between January and the end of September reached 2.11 million tonnes, up 2% compared with 2024, marking what the organisation defines as a “structural recovery” that began at the end of last year.