October 16, 2022
ITA celebrates success of “Made in Italy” exports and shares plans for supporting enterprises in 2023
Italian food products have remained resilient despite recent challenges thanks to its reputation for excellence, says Carlo Ferro, President of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA)
In an exclusive interview with SIAL Daily, Mr Ferro explained how the organisation supports Italian businesses, with a focus on small and medium enterprises, at SIAL Paris 2022.
What is the key role that ITA plays regarding Italian exports?
ITA promotes Italian trade. We also have very good cooperations with our equivalent organisations in France and Europe; exchanging ideas, bench marking initiatives, and possibly cooperating on joint programmes. It is a way of being European when carrying out our mission to support Italian enterprises move into international markets.
How do you see Italy’s trade balance in the agri-food sector evolving over the coming years?
The Italian agri-food sector is doing very well with exports growing even in 2020, then by 11.6% in 2021 and by a further 18.9% in the first six months of 2022. I believe this is a sign that when global demand restarts, the excellence of Italian products is very well recognised.
Where is the highest demand for Italian products and how is this changing?
The top two countries are Germany and France. The third destination is the USA while exports are also strong in the rest of Europe and Canada. I see a short-term, continued focus on markets such as Europe and the USA. We are also preparing Italian SMEs to address the Asian market, not only China but also Japan and South Eastern Economies, like Singapore and Vietnam.
How is Italy promoting the durability and traceability of its high quality products?
In the last 12 months, we have launched a national branding campaign called beIT. This promotes the key success factors of Made in Italy overall, as a result of integrating culture and business, lifestyle, manufacturing and technology. We also wanted to leverage sports events in order to promote our campaign worldwide. For this reason, ITA is a proud sponsor of the F1 Grand Prix of MadeinItaly in Imola and of the Serie A (the Italian Premiere League).
What has ITA got in the pipeline for 2023?
We have recently restarted new programmes looking at innovation, startups and digitisation of processes. We have opened 33 Made in Italy virtual windows on global market places, where 7,000 Italian SMEs are selling products online. We work with 80 offices in the world and are extending this number to 104. This network helps enterprises to look for export opportunities in the foreign market and participate in exhibitions overseas.
How important is SIAL Paris for ITA?
SIAL Paris is one of the largest and most iconic events for global trade in the food industry, with many international visitors. Export is very important to Italian GDP, 10% of which is in agri-food. Exports to France is also very important for Italy, as this is another 10%.
Hall 1, Stands F13-F113
Castello di Salasco showcases gluten-free couscous
A beautiful balance of tradition and innovation, Castello di Salasco has been farming for generations and is now using its know-how to create organic, high quality food products. In its second year, the company boasts a delicious range of rice, couscous and crackers and has been recognised by SIAL Innovation for its pioneering gluten-free corn couscous. At SIAL Paris 2022, founder Stefania Locatelli shared her ambition to expand across the global market. “Now couscous is very popular and gluten is a challenge for many consumers. Our products are also very quick and easy to prepare and are a complete dish, providing carbohydrates and proteins.”