The 20% dice on all Made in Italy agri -food products will lead to an increase in shopping in supermarkets and 1.6 billion restaurant for American consumers, with the real risk of a decrease in sales that will damage Italian companies. This is what Coldiretti estimates about the announcement of American President Trump to impose additional rates on all European goods that will encourage the phenomenon of food Italian sounding, the imitations of tricolor products, in the United States. The United States represent the main non-EU destination for Calabrian exports in various sectors, (Extra virgin oil, wine, products in oil, cheeses, food preserves in the various processes, figs and pasta) with a share of 9.36%. A constantly growing trend between 2021 and 2023, going from 70 million to 82.5 million euros. The agri -food of this represents about 34% therefore over 28 million euros. And there is still an induced to be safeguarded that goes from logistics, to marketing actions etc. All this value – adds Coldiretti – cannot evaporate! On our side there is an element that is not replicable anywhere in the world: tradition and quality that are the factor and common heritage of our productions. The quality of the productions cannot be compromised by tariff barriers. In the United States they want to eat Italian food in restaurants. “We face, as we are used to doing,” chest outside “this, however, unfortunate and myope choice – Comment Franco Aceto President of Coldiretti Calabria. Like Coldiretti Nazionale (he is a member of the Council) – he adds – we are committed to encourage all the diplomatic actions necessary to avoid the distortion of commercial flows with a global commercial war where the first victims will be the US citizens who will pay more the products they will not give up. Certainly Italy must not speak alone, it must do it together with Europe in a unique item “. In the decline in sales must then be added the damage in terms of depreciation of the productions, to be calculated for supply chain, linked to the excess of offer without outlets in other markets and for this it is necessary to work on a diplomatic solution that is carried out at the European headquarters, concludes Coldiretti. As the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella underlined, these duties represent” Deep ”and require a compact, serene and determined response from the European Union.
Without forgetting the increase in storage costs, all the more sensitive if linked to the permanentness of the product. The other factor that worries is the danger – continues Coldiretti – to lose market share and positioning on the shelves conquered, promoting competition by other countries affected in a less heavy way by the duties. According to an analysis, Made in Italy agri -food exports in the United States marked 2024 the record ever with a value of 7.8 billion and a growth of 17% compared to the previous year.
“This must also be an opportunity for Europe, which must remain united more than ever at this stage and dialogue with a single voice, to put in place a plan of relaunching the production sectors, starting from the sburocratization, but also by injecting new resources -underlines Coldiretti -. Useless bureaucracy that has slowed down everything and affected our companies significantly. It takes an injection of new economic resources. precision agriculture regarding our sector.