Agri-food: holds the 2020 trade balance, + 2.6 billion

It holds on to the Italian agri-food markets in the year of the pandemic, with imports down by 4.7% and exports up by 1.3%, reaching 45 billion euros for the first time, although with very different trends in commodity level This is what emerges from the 2020 Report on foreign trade of agri-food products of Crea, in recording the trade balance which becomes positive with +2.6 billion, after the breakeven of 2019 reached after a deficit that 5 years ago was of 5 billion.

May was the month most affected by the effects of Covid, both for imports and for agri-food exports, but as early as June the sector reacted: the export values, in fact, returned in line with 2019, while the the decline in imports eased.

Analyzing the product sectors, products such as pasta, tomato preserves and olive oil have been driving Made in Italy exports. On the other hand, sales of Dop desserts and wines decreased; a sector, this, which suffered a decline of 2.4%, clearly better than France with its -10%. As for the reference markets, the EU stands out with over 65% of the total export share, followed by North America (13.1%) and Asia (7.6%). The value of sales also rose as in Germany (+ 7.1%), United States (+ 5.3%), United Kingdom (+ 3.1%) and Switzerland (+ 8.3%). On the import front, France, Germany and Spain remain the main suppliers, with a weighting of over 35%.

Purchases from France remain in line with 2019, while those from Germany (-7.9%) and Spain (-11.7%) are in sharp decline.

It holds but only in half of the regions

The effects of the pandemic in 2020 at a territorial level weighed very differently on exports, depending on the specialization of agri-food production and the reference markets of the various regions. This is highlighted by the focus contained in Crea's 2020 report on foreign trade. Against an overall increase in agri-food exports, in fact, half of the regions recorded a drop in sales. The contraction, especially in the second quarter, of exports of products such as wines, dairy products, prepared meats, coffee and confectionery products, affected the negative result of some more specialized regions of the Center-North. On the other hand, five regions of Southern Italy showed a positive trend even in the months most affected by the restrictive measures,thanks above all to higher sales abroad of pasta, tomato preserves and olive oil. In terms of imports, there was a decline in almost all regions, with the exception of the islands, Puglia and Valle d'Aosta. Despite these specific sectoral performances, Crea reports, on the whole, starting from the second half of 2020, an improvement in agri-food exports has been observed in many Italian regions.there is an improvement in agri-food exports in many Italian regions.there is an improvement in agri-food exports in many Italian regions.