Italian exports of fresh fruit and vegetables increased in the first half of the year. Istat data analysed by Fruitimprese show an increase of 5% in volume (1,818,378 tons) and 3% in value compared to the same period last year, reaching almost 2.8 billion euros.
Imports kept pace with this growth, increasing by 3.8% in volume, exceeding exports by 330,226 tons and by 5.2% in value, with a positive trade balance of 31,537 million euros, 63.5% less than in the same period last year.
Looking at the individual sectors, exports of tubers, legumes and vegetables increased by 11.4% in volume and only 0.4% in value compared to the first half of last year, with a significant drop in the price of the exported product.
Citrus exports suffered the same fate, rising by 12.6% in volume but only 5.2% in value. Fresh fruit exports held their own, falling by 2.9% in volume but rising by 5.5% in value due to the poor availability of some of our export symbols.
Exports of dried fruit continued to lose positions, falling to the lowest value in the last 15 years, losing 10.3% in volume and 2.2% in value compared to the same period in 2023.Tropical fruit exports performed very well, continuing their growth trend of the last 5 years with +28.7% in volume and +18.3% in value, becoming a key factor in the Italian fruit and vegetable scenario thanks to the far-sightedness of our importers and the logistical efficiency of our infrastructures.
Looking at the performance of individual products, apple exports remained stable in terms of volume but increased in value by 10.93%, with a steady reduction in stocks, to the satisfaction of operators. Oranges performed well, with exports up 8.32% in volume and 3.87% in value compared to the first half of 2023.
The situation for kiwi exports is alarming: although the value of exports is slightly lower than last year (275.119 million euros, -2.9%), the quantity exported is down by almost a third to 117,220 tons (-29.62%). This is a product that has suffered a serious production crisis, particularly in some areas, due to the kiwi dieback. The government has intervened with targeted aid, but unfortunately this has not been enough to protect the operators involved.
Exports of pears continued to fall, to just over 10,000 tons, down 64.03% in volume and 54.10% in value. A sector that is placing its hopes for recovery on the next production campaign that is about to start, but in which the main variety for which Italy is famous, the Abate Fetel pear, has seen a harvest decimated by Alternaria, which has found it easy to thrive in the absence of active substances capable of combating it.
Exports of lemons and strawberries remained within the norm, the latter falling by 10.14% in volume but rising by 3.01% in value.
On a positive note, the peach and nectarine campaign ended with satisfactory prices and generally good product quality, as did the ongoing table grape campaign, thanks to the presence on the market of new varieties that are very attractive to the national and international market.
Imports
Among the most imported products, imports of bananas and pineapples remain stable and avocados are not in crisis, with an increase of 8.81% in volume and 3.93% in value compared to last year, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down, in line with the new consumption trends of Italians.
Tomato imports also continue to grow, with an increase of 8.74% in volume and a decrease of 14.92% in value.
Marco Salvi, President of Fruitimprese
On the occasion of the half-year results, President Marco Salvi reiterated the concerns of those involved in overseas exports due to the ongoing international crisis, in particular the closure of the Suez Canal, which had already reduced shipments to India by 80% by the end of the last campaign and is threatening exports to this important destination for our apples.
"The outlook is not good for the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula markets, where the price factor is advantageous to Polish and Serbian operators, who are diverting the less valuable product to these destinations. The same is true of apple exports to Egypt, which is suffering from the international payment squeeze caused by the currency crisis, which is actually blocking trade relations with this country".
On the European front," says Salvi, "there are concerns about the formation of the team of the next European Commission, with the prospect of a possible agriculture commissioner who has little in common with Mediterranean production.