Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: Italy is investing in production chains, research, technological innovation, energy efficiency, and international expansion in its agrifood sector, opening supply and collaboration opportunities.
Italy’s food and agriculture sector represents one of the cornerstones of the country’s economy—and not just because of its iconic wines and pastas.
Italy exported a record €63.1 billion ($73 billion USD) in 2023, third-highest in the European Union and a 6.6% increase over the previous year, according to ItalianFOOD.net, a publication of Gruppo Food, an Italian publishing house, citing figures from CREA, the Italian agriculture public research institute.
The sector encompasses more than 740,000 agricultural companies, 70,000 food industries, 340 food technology startups, and 4 million employees, and it accounts for 3.8% of Italy’s economy.
Wine is Italy’s No. 1 export, valued at more than $10 billion annually. Italian wine represents 17% of the world’s wine production, according to a Rome Business School report. Italy exported nearly 2.2 billion liters of wine in 2022, the report says. Within its own population, by 2024, Italians will drink more than 10 million liters of wine a year, or about 26 liters per capita, the report projects.
Demand for Italy’s cheeses also grew worldwide in 2023, according to ItalianFOOD.net, hitting a record 600,000 tons in exports valued at €5 billion ($5.8 billion USD). Fresh cheeses burrata and mascarpone led the rise, and exports to China, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia showed significant increases.
More than 850 of Italy’s agrifood products carry Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication certifications from the European Union, reinforcing their quality and cultural heritage by designating they are produced in a specific geographic area of the country.
In addition, Italy’s government recently announced a €20 billion initiative to revitalize the agricultural and agrifood sectors, with a focus on updated digital systems, energy savings, a circular economy, and animal welfare.
Meanwhile, Italy’s agrifood imports also reached record levels in 2023, totaling €64.7 billion ($75 billion USD), an increase of 4.1% from 2022, according to ItalianFOOD.net. The biggest shares of those imports came from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Poland, according to the World Bank.
The U.S. ranked 13th, with agrifood imports to Italy valued at million in 2023, which shows room for Wisconsin food producers to consider stepping up their marketing efforts to potential Italian partners.
