Examining industry opportunities from around the world

As far as vegetables, Italy is the leading cultivator of green asparagus in all of Europe. The country also produces an assortment of lettuces for export, including radicchio. According to Ben Giambrone, president of B. Giambrone & Company, Inc. in Rochester, NY, radicchio is the most popular lettuce distributed by the company. Other Italian exports include blood oranges from Sicily in January and February and white truffles and olives in the late fall. Italy is also known for its olive oil, and is one of the world’s leading producers.

Organic fruits and vegetables have gained popularity as well, with Italy exporting product to the United States, Japan, and Germany, with the latter as Italy’s primary trading partner in Europe. In the first quarter of 2013 Italy exported over $2 billion in fruits and vegetables globally, with nearly a quarter being citrus fruit, while fruit and vegetable imports were valued at nearly $1 billion during the same period.

Italy has also had its share of recent setbacks. Currently, it ranks third in the world for debt load, suffers high unemployment, and struggled through damaging labor union strikes in 2012 and 2013. Climate issues have also wreaked havoc with growing seasons, as the Italian Alps can influence weather patterns and produce droughts, floods, and snow. During the fall of 2013, the region of Puglia was hit with torrential rain that lasted days, damaging hundreds of vineyards and citrus groves. In the Taranto Province, the damages totaled over $60 million to the area in agricultural losses.

Despite its reputation as a hotspot for romantic getaways and wine lovers, Italy is proving its worth as a global agricultural competitor.

Sources: Business Day; CIA World Factbook; European Commission; Fresh Fruit Portal; Fructidor; Reuters News Service; U.S. Department of Commerce; USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.