I cheese producers, olive oil and other gastronomic excellences Made in Italy are accelerating shipments to the United States to anticipate potential new export duties. The unelected president Donald Trump He repeatedly promised to introduce new tariffs during his election campaign, which brought him to the White House for a second time.
In 2023, the US imported Italian food, wine and spirits worth 4,4 billion euros. In the first six months of this year, theItalian agri-food in the USA grew by 19,5% compared to the same period of the previous year, to reach 7,8 billion euros at the end of December.
US tariffs fears: impacts on prices and consumers
Now many business owners fear that American consumers may reduce their purchases because of theprice increase that the duties would entail opting for cheaper alternatives, often imitations. With the risk that the products “Italian-sounding".
The operation is not simple: the availability of refrigerated containers is extremely limited in the pre-Christmas period, however some producers had already started to accumulate stocks before Trump's victory, foreseeing this eventuality.
The Role of the Italian Government: Negotiations and New Opportunities
Many are hoping that the government of Giorgia Meloni can get treatments favorableThe Prime Minister has established close relations with Elon Musk, an influential Trump supporter and appointed to head a department for deregulation. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also recalled the special treatment that Trump had reserved for Italy during his first term.
However, the prime minister admitted that fears over tariffs are real, announcing that the government will launch a dialogue with the US administration and will also work to strengthen European competitiveness.
At the same time, it is the Brazil to represent a great opportunity to increase sales abroad of one of the symbolic products of Italian culinary culture: tomato puree.
The consortium at Oì Pomodoro dell'Industria basin Centro Sud is promoting in the Carioca country, with EU funding, the project My Tomato, to expand a turnover that remained at 42 million dollars, just 3% of which was exported to Latin America.
