Italian farmers are in trouble, Italian food specialties may disappear from the shops

By: Trademagazin Date: 2022. 09. 16. 08:06

Italy’s largest farmers’ union, Coldiretti, says immediate measures are needed to save the agri-food industry. The organization invited Minister of Economy Daniele Franco and Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti to a meeting, where they drew the politicians’ attention to the fact that if they do not act on time, a significant number of producers and processors will be forced to declare bankruptcy, according to a recent article in Magyar Nemzet.

Because of the rising costs, Italian farmers have difficulty processing the crop

The energy crisis affecting the whole of Europe is putting a heavy burden on the players in the sector, due to the skyrocketing costs, 13 percent of Italian farms are in a critical state, close to closure, and one in three is operating at a loss.

According to the organization, this is no wonder in economic conditions where the price of fertilizer has risen by 170 percent, feed by an average of 90 percent, diesel by 129 percent, and irrigation costs by around 300 percent in recent months. The price increase is also a serious blow to the manufacturing industry. Compared to last year, bottles went up by 30 percent, cans by 60 percent, and plastic packaging materials by 70 percent, but expenses related to tetrapack packaging, labels, and cardboard also increased.

According to Coldiretti’s estimate, the price increase affecting the entire food industry amounts to around 575 billion euros, which is a quarter of the entire Italian GDP, and affects to some extent four million employees of almost 70,000 agri-food companies. The situation may worsen in the coming months, and it may also happen that European households will have to do without the most popular Italian foods.

Magyar Nemzet