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October/November 202 2 II MAGAZINE for analysing and measuring results, institutional meetings and discussions between Members and Suppliers, will also be increasingly strategic in the coming year to support marketing, trade marketing and sales decisions and to better face future challenges. by Antonio Bocchi AT PAGE 16 FOCUS ON Made in Italy: exports booming DESPITE THE DIFFICULT CONTINGENCY, EXPORTS OF OUR FOOD PRODUCTS CONTINUE TO GROW AND AIM TO REACH AN ALL-TIME HIGH OF EUR 60 BILLION IN 2023. OPENING UP NEW AND INTERESTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN by Manuela Falchero Made in Italy food exports continue to run robustly: af ter the Euro 50 billion collected in 2021, which already represented a real record, in 2022 they are aiming at the goal of Euro 60 billion. Supporting the ambitious target is the +17.6% year-on-year jump achieved in the first seven months of this 2022. Which is very good news for the industry. And this, whichever way you read the data: whether it is attributable to a price increase or to an increase in volumes, growth is in fact a far from obvious and commonplace indicator, especially when one considers the severe dif ficulties experienced by both companies, grappling with the soaring costs of ingredients and energy, and consumers, penalised by a reduction in purchasing power. Naturally, the upward trend is also a good omen for the Cic wholesalers, where significant business opportunities abroad are opening up. This may become even more significant, if one considers the anticipated dif ficulties on the domestic consumption front. THE ‘HOTTEST’ COUNTRIES The Institute first of all highlights the good results coming from Germany: exports of Italian agri-food products to the first country of destination of our exports reached a value of around 4.6 billion euros in the first six months of 2022, marking an increase of +10.9% on an annual basis. But brilliant signs are also coming from the second largest export market for Made in Italy food, the USA , where our exports posted a +20.9% increase, moving EUR 3.3 billion. And still in decidedly positive territory are the results released by France, the country that occupies the third step on the podium of Italian exports. The figures show that Paris posted an increase of +17.7% on a trend basis, touching Euro 3.2 billion in exports. Uncertain predictions following the UK’s exit from the European Union have been disproved: numbers in hand, Brexit seems to have done less harm than expected. Exports to London have in fact increased by +19%, touching a turnover of EUR 2 billion. The figures, in short, disprove the signs of a slowdown recorded in the previous two years, when growth rates were limited to +3.7% in 2020 and +1.5% in 2021, respectively. Above all, however, they dispel concerns about possible losses across the Channel of the competitive advantage of European food products over those of other countries and still mitigate the danger of the introduction of technical barriers due to the lack of common regulations in the British market. It must be said, however, that the real breakthrough on the export chessboard is Poland. The country recorded a growth in demand for Italian agri-food products of +39% per year, reaching a turnover of 800 million euros in the first half of the year. An exploit mainly driven by roasted coffee, for which Italian exports rose from 39 million euros in the first half of 2021 to almost 66 million euros in the first half of 2022 (+70% against a 43% increase in volumes). But dry pasta (+89% to 21 million euros), sparkling wines (+63% to 22 million euros and +58% in volume), and bakery and pastry products (+42% to 26 million euros and +36% in volume) must also be added to the list. Those