After a record 2021 for foreign sales of fruit and vegetables Made in Italy: with a value exceeding 5,2 billion Euros (+8,3% on the previous year) and a balance of trade of 1,076 billion (+62,1% on 2020), the prospects for 2022 disseminated by Fruit enterprises continue to mark a clear trend reversal. The first four months of 2022 confirm the negative trend of the first quarter. L' export is in sharp decline: -3% in value and -8,1% in quantity compared to the first quarter of 2021. Negative signs for all sectors, in particular for fresh fruit (-6,8%) and citrus fruits (- 5,9%). Positive sign only for legumes-vegetables (+5,9%) and tropical fruit (+27,5%).
Instead, they grow cheap imports, with double-digit increases: citrus fruits (+30,6%), legumes-vegetables (+31,5%), fresh fruit (+12%), dried fruit (+33,8%). Also in quantitative terms, imports exceed exports: 1,3 million tons against 1,1 million. And the trade balance is decreasing: from 564 million in the first 4 months of 2021 to 207 million in the first quarter of 2022 (-63,2%). Analyzing the main products, pears are in free fall (-63%) and oranges (-9,54%) and apples (-6,46%) are decreasing sharply. Kiwis (+12,1%) and mandarins/clementines (+12%) are saved.
The opinion of operators in the fruit and vegetable production sector
Industry operators underline concern for i skyrocketing production costs. now out of control: "Companies still suffer from a shortage of skilled labor which puts fruit and vegetable production chains in difficulty, slowing down processes and reducing production yields with a consequent increase in harvesting and packaging costs”. The uncertainty in the current national political scene has further worsened the cost situation with the increase in the spread to the detriment of a greater need for continuity.
The wood-furniture sector and the primacy of Lombardy for export value
Positive signals come from the sector wood-furniture. Lombardy, with a share of 28%, is confirmed as the first region by export value for the supply chain, up by +22,8% on the first quarter of 2021. This is attested by the trade flows by region in the first quarter of 2022 elaborated by the FederlegnoArredo Study Center. From a regional point of view, exports are almost all growing, with the exception of Campania and Molise which close at -19,2% and -1% respectively. Lombardy is followed by Veneto (+14,6%), Friuli Venezia-Giulia (+26,4%), Emilia-Romagna (+14,1%) and Tuscany (+28,1%).
At the sub-fund level they are the foreign sales of furniture to weigh more: Lombardy with almost 800 million euros records a growth of 24,1% compared to the first three months of 2021 and exports above all to France (+18,3%) and the USA (+44,2%). Veneto (776 million, +14,8%) in Germany (+31,9%), Friuli Venezia-Giulia (503 million, +28,5%) in the UK (+45,6%) and the USA (+ 71,9%), Emilia Romagna (226 million, +14,5%) in France (+1,9%) and China (+44,8%), the Marches (146 million, +10%) above all in the USA (31,5%).
And also for wood there Lombardia the first region by export value is confirmed: 168 million in the first three months of 2022 and a growth of 33,8% on the first three months of 2021. Lombardy mainly exports wood products (158 million, +34,3%) to Germany (+31%), France (+21,8%) and the USA (+22,3%) but exports to China recorded the most significant growth (+128,6%). Veneto, for its part, mainly exports logs and sawn timber (44 million, +25%) to the United Kingdom (+37,3%).
