SACE highlights as also in June Italian exports of goods were up on the previous month (+14,4%), while the impact of the pandemic has mainly affected trade with India (-33,1% compared to June 2019), Mercosur (-32,7%), North Africa (-25,9%) and the USA (-22,4 .XNUMX%). The trend balance between January and June records -15,3%, a result conditioned by the strong contraction in the export of motor vehicles (-32%), textiles and clothing (-26,2%), other means of transport (-22%) and instrumental mechanics (-20%).
Some destinations in the first half of the year show a stronger demand than the overall average, in particular Belgium (+3,3% compared to the same period of 2019), while Italian goods directed to India find it more difficult (-33,8%) , Spain (-21,8%), United Kingdom (-19,8%) and China (-18,6%). The first half of the year confirmed the international resilience of food and drink, especially in Germany (+5,5%), United Kingdom (+4,1%) and Turkey (+1,1%). Very positive performances also for agricultural products towards Ankara (+10,7%) and Berlin (+10,5%), while in London the sales of these goods recorded a -1,3%, therefore better than the average towards the country . In particular, metal products fly (+14,9%), which instead suffer both in Germany (-19,7%) and in Turkey (-9,7%). The means of transport to all three destinations fell sharply.
Looking at the main groupings of industries, it is noted that in the first six months of the year, exports of consumer goods recorded the least significant contraction (-10,1% compared to the same period of 2019), despite the figure for durable goods (-23,9%). Still negative, but better than the average, the dynamics of intermediate goods (-13,6%), thanks to chemical products and rubber articles. The fall in capital goods did not stop (-21,2%), strongly conditioned by global uncertainty, which however grew by 23,6% in June compared to May. Sectoral detail shows that agricultural products are among the few with a positive sign, together with food and pharmaceutica, supported by French, Dutch, Czech, Swiss, Chinese, Japanese, as well as German and Turkish demand. In negative territory, among others, electronic devices and machinery, with the latter, however, much more penalized. In fact, while for the former there are geographies that show growth (USA, Russia, Poland, Czech Rep., Japan, United Kingdom, Romania, the Netherlands and Belgium), for the latter the demand shows a decrease in all the main destinations .
According to data published by Studies and Research Department of Intesa San Paolo, 2019 was a record year for Italian exports of food products, reaching 43 billion euros, up by +3,7% compared to the previous year. The performance of the agri-food districts should also be underlined, which recorded even better performances in 2019, with more than 19 billion in foreign turnover (+4,4% on an annual basis).
And precisely with regard to the agri-food sector, in the period January-March 2020 this positive trend in the sector recorded a further leap forward, thanks to the entry into force of the lockdown measures first in Italy and then throughout Europe, radically changing the consumer buying habits. Indeed, in the first three months of the year, the agri-food districts totaled a total of 5,1 billion of exports, up by +9,3%thus closing the best winter quarter ever. Among the sectors that drove the Italian agri-food the most in the first quarter of 2020, the wine sector stands out, which maintains its leadership with over 1,3 billion, up +6,1% on an annual basis, while the pasta and of sweets, which exceed one billion in foreign sales, up by +27,6% on a year-on-year basis. Also noteworthy are the sales of meat and cured meats (+10,1% compared to the same period of the previous year) and rice (+12,3% on a trend basis). The performances of preserves (+5%), dairy products (+4,6%) and oil (+3,6%) are also good. The only supply chain slowing down is that of fish products, due to lower demand from the ho.re.ca channel.
Analysts highlight how all the main destination markets recorded high growth rates in terms of exports of food products in the first three months of 2020, in particular Germany (up by +11,5%), the USA (+9%) and France (+20%). The only exception concerns the United Kingdom, which slowed down by -2020% in the first three months of 3,8, also due to the implications deriving from Brexit and the scenario of a possible "no deal".
