Unfair imports and climate change are ruining Italian honey with national producers having to deal with arrivals of low-quality foreign products at rock-bottom prices, such as Chinese honey which trades just above the euro per kilogram, while the production costs necessary to cope with bad weather and drought.
Coldiretti reports this on the occasion of Apimell, an international market exhibition specialized in the beekeeping sector.
In 2023 - the agricultural organization notes - over 25 million kilos of foreign honey arrived in Italy compared to a national production estimated at 22 million kilos, which was affected by the effects of the climate, according to Coldiretti's analysis of data of the Miele Observatory.
The average price of the product imported from non-EU countries - reports Coldiretti - was 2.14 euros per kilo.
A mass of product at rock-bottom prices ended up - it is highlighted - in the crosshairs of an investigation by the EU Commission which analyzed a portion of samples of imported honey, finding that in 46% of cases it did not comply with community rules, with the use of sugar syrups to adulterate the product, increase its quantity and lower its price and the use of additives and colorings to falsify the botanical origin.
The greatest number in absolute value of suspicious consignments came - adds Coldiretti - from China (66 out of 89, equal to 74%), while the country with the highest percentage of suspicious honey samples was Turkey (14 out of 15, equal to at 93%).
An unsustainable dumping - concludes Coldiretti - to the detriment of the 75 thousand national beekeepers, with 1.6 million hives already struggling with the increase in production costs in a year made difficult by climate change.
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