"Don't believe those who say Italy is being invaded by tomatoes from China. It may actually be the opposite," explained Guido Conforti from the industry tomato interbranch organisation during a convention held at Cibus in Parma.
"Many ignore the fact that Italy is the leading exporter of tomato products, followed by China with less than half the value and the US. We are the second country in terms of volume, but the first for turnover, meaning the value of our products is considerable."
"Tomato sauce exports have been on the up since 2000. We export to great consumer countries such as Germany, UK, France, US, Japan and the Netherlands. 60% of the tomatoes produced in Italy are destined abroad, so we are self-sufficient by 250%."
The figures were confirmed by the president of the interbranch organisation, Pier Luigi Ferrari. "We export over €1 billion and import €157 million. In addition, imported tomatoes are actually then re-exported to other countries."
The contract between growers and processing industry has yet to be signed, so producers will be forced to transplant without knowing how much they will make when they finally harvest. The president explained that the organisation is not responsible for this matter, but he hopes an agreement will be reached soon.
Around 1.1 million tons of tomatoes are imported, though 4 million tons are exported. In 2014, domestic consumption reached €2.1 million, i.e. 35 kilos per capita. The same happened in 2015, though production was abundant, "so we needed to export more. Consumption has reached its maximum, while it is still possible to increase consumption worldwide."
Maria Chiara Cavallo, secretary of the organisation, explained that, in the North of the country, there are 29 facilities part of the organisation gathering 2,000 producers. Cultivated hectares are around 35 thousand. 55% of the produce goes to the processing industry, 31% to retailers and 14% to the catering sector. The average distance between producers and the processing facilities is 60 km.
Gabriele Canali, professor of agricultural and food economics at the University of Piacenza, talked about the commitment of the IO towards the responsibility and transparency of the chain. "We need to define a charter and improve social responsibility. We are going to organise a few open days in the next few months."
The audience asked about the difference between Northern and Southern Italy, as the only thing they seem to have in common is that they produce roughly half of the tomatoes available at a domestic level. Together, they produce 50% of the tomatoes available in Europe. "They could cooperate and the South is doing more towards it, though politics and bureaucracy hinder growth. Not to mention that often production areas are located in Apulia while processing facilities are in Campania, making it difficult to organise production."
