After closing 2023 with a 4.5% increase in foreign markets compared to 2022, Italian agri-food districts continue on the same trend in the first quarter of 2024, achieving almost 7.1 billion euros in exports, 441 million more than in the same period of the previous year (+6.6% trend at current prices). This is what emerges from the Monitor of Italian agri-food districts as of March 31, 2024, edited by the Research Department of Intesa Sanpaolo. The trend follows that of total Italian agri-food exports (+6.7%), and goes against the trend of other manufacturing districts, which instead are slightly down (-2.7%).

The wine districts supply chain in the first three months of 2024 obtained 2.4% more than in the same period of 2023 thanks to the ten monitored districts that total over 1.5 billion in exports after the slight decline in 2023 (-0.7% compared to 2022). The district of Wines of Verona stands out positively, with double-digit growth (+11.6%) and also the district of Wines of the Florentine and Sienese hills (+7.4%). Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene settled at the same values as the first quarter of 2023 (+0.4%). The most important district in terms of exported values, that of Wines of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato (-2%), however, slightly contracted.

The pasta and sweets supply chain follows the same growth path as last year: (+4.4% in the first quarter of 2024, after +4.8% in 2023). Among the districts of the supply chain, the very positive trend of the first district for exported values, that of the Sweets of Alba and Cuneo, should be noted, which achieves almost 75 million euros in exports more than in the first quarter of 2023 (+18.9%). The Sweets and pasta of Verona also show double-digit growth (+16.4%). On the other hand, the pasta and sweets sectors of the two Campania districts are declining: the Neapolitan food sector is down by 33.2% and the Avellino food sector by 22.6%.

Slight progress for the agricultural districts supply chain in the first quarter of 2024 (+0.6%). The main district, the Romagna fruit and vegetable sector, closed the first quarter of 2024 almost unchanged (-0.2%), despite the adverse weather that characterized much of the year (drought, late frosts and floods) and which compromised many of the territory's productions. A strong leap forward for the Alto Adige apples (+16.9%). The Western Liguria floriculture sector also showed good dynamics (+10.7%). On the other hand, the Piedmont hazelnut and fruit sector fell (-17.8%).

The canned food supply chain is progressing well on foreign markets (+8.4% in the first quarter of 2024). The contribution of the main district, Conserve di Nocera, is crucial to the supply chain dynamics, which alone contributes 41 million to the 65 million of overall growth of the supply chain in the quarter (+10.5% trend). The canned food sector of Alimentare di Parma is second in terms of contribution to growth (+28%).

In the meat supply chain, which overall recorded a growth of 6.1% in the first quarter of 2024, Parma cured meats (+17.6%) and Modena cured meats (+8.8%) stand out in particular.