The economic results of the first quarter of the year offer a glimmer of optimism. The export data for the Italian vineyard and for the world of cheese, in fact, are encouraging and highlight the path of recovery of market shares despite Covid.
According to the calculations of Alleanza Cooperative Agroalimentari on the foreign trade data relating to the first quarter of 2021 published by Istat, they highlight the break even in foreign turnover compared to 2020 (+ 0.1%) and even an increase in volumes sold ( + 1.1%) thanks above all to the performances recorded on the European market. In the month of March alone, Italy increased intra-community sales by 22%, reaching 200 million euros in a single month which allowed to recover the losses of January and February, bringing the EU cumulative figure for the first quarter to +4. , 9% in volume and + 2.8% in value compared to 2020.
“This is a reversal of the trend compared to the beginning of the year – comments the Coordinator of the dairy sector of Alleanza Cooperative Agroalimentari Giovanni Guarneri – which bodes well in view of the summer months and a progressive and gradual reopening of the Ho channel. .re.ca in many countries. However, we evaluate the data recorded in March with great caution, since these are variations compared to March of last year, when the scenario saw the market already hit by the first major repercussions caused by the pandemic ». Non-EU markets, on the other hand, continue to suffer, starting with Great Britain which recorded a decrease of 15.4% and Japan (-32% in value) while the USA recorded a slight growth in March, which reduces the figure. cumulative negative for the quarter which stood at -10.5%. China continues to record record increases, which almost triples the sales in value recorded in the first three months of 2020.
Vigneto Italia also recorded encouraging signs “despite the pandemic and the logistical and transport difficulties that have afflicted international trade for some time”. According to an analysis by Ismea and the Italian Wine Union (UIV), which processed the Istat data relating to wine exports, in the first quarter of the year the cumulative balance was negative by 4% in value and 8.2% in volume. According to the researchers, however, the curve is clearly improving: in volume, it went from -19% in January to -11% in February to reach zero balance in March, with sparkling and still bottled in a positive wake, to + 7%. On the value, even better trend, with the total wine that in the single month of March reaches + 12% after passing from -21% in January to -5% in February. Sparkling wines that from -16% at the beginning of the year reach + 3% and still-sparkling bottled wines that rise from -23% to + 16%.
Even on the main export markets the trends are mostly similar: in the United States, for example, sparkling wine stores the quarterly cumulative positive, with Prosecco even at + 11% volume, while still and sparkling wines packaged, while closing on the negative side the quarterly aggregate (-7%), recorded an encouraging growth path, both in volume and in value: from -44% in January (a figure which can also be explained by the strong demand of US importers a year ago due to fears of a possible inclusion of Italy in the tariff carousel) at + 21% in March.