MyPlant & Garden Milan – Growing Italian horticulture also suffers from the energy crisis
MyPlant & Garden, the leading international gardening fair, shares and comments on the latest official data available on horticulture in Italy (year 2021).
Tuscany, Liguria, Sicily, Lombardy, Lazio, Puglia, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont lead the ranking of Italian regions for national horticultural production, which in 2021 a 5% increase from the previous year (in value).
The value, which corresponds to €2.8 billion (4.6% of the base price of Italian agricultural production), is the highest recorded in recent years.
The production of flowers and potted plants in 2021 reached nearly 1.3 billion euros (+5.1% compared to 2020), coming partly (39%) from the north-western regions of Italy and partly (35%) from the south and islands.
The production of nurserieson the other hand, which reached 1.5 billion euros (+4.9%), came mainly from central Italy.
Horticultural production at basic prices in Italy – 2021
plants and flowers – nurseries – wicker: wicker
Italian production takes place mainly in four regions: Liguriawho is the head of outdoor flower production;Tuscany and Lombardywhere the main nursery activities take place produce ornamental plants; Campaniawhere companies specialize mainly in the protected cultivation of flowers.
Tuscany leads nursery production at the national level, with a turnover of 816 million euros (+4% on average between 2019 and 2020).
Flower production, on the contrary, is directed by the Liguria with 386 million euros (+4.6% over the two previous years).
Regional data on Italian horticulture:
value of NURSERY production (Table 1) POT PLANTS AND FLOWERS (Table 2)
As noted above, Tuscany and Liguria lead the ranking of Italian flower and nursery production:
- Tuscany (30%)
- Liguria (14%)
- Sicily (9.6%)
- Lombardy (8.9%)
- Lazio (6%)
- Puglia (5.7%)
- Emilia-Romagna (4.8%)
- Veneto (4%)
- Piedmon (2.75%).
Exports are growing, the trade balance is doing well
Italian horticulture is considered an excellence at the international level. The export of Italian horticultural products continues to grow.
“From our position as a leading international commercial arena for horticulture – comments the management of Myplant – we are happy to see that export, which is essential for the development of the industry, has taken a new step beyond billion euros.
Italy confirms its role as a net exporter of horticultural products: the value of export production in 2021 reached 1,143 million euros (903 in 2020).
The trade balance stands at 550 million euros (423 in 2020).
The European Union is the main export destination for Italian products (about 80% of all exports).
According to Eurostat, the total value of European manufacturing in 2021, including flower bulbs and nursery plants, was €20 billion, of which almost €7 billion came from the Netherlands.
70% of Italian exports go to France, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
The Netherlands (75%), Germany, Spain and Belgium, on the other hand, are Italy’s main importing countries.
“It’s a fact that we mentioned in January last year – notes the management – when we noticed that Italian exports of horticultural products had increased since the first quarter. Additionally, many companies in the industry had positive feelings about a replacement. However, we had also noticed how the pushback was somehow hampered by increasing production costs due to soaring costs of energy, raw materials for shipping, transportation and fertilizers.
Troubles and opportunities for forty thousand hectares of excellence
At the beginning of 2022, after overcoming the harsh crisis caused by the pandemics, Italian production was once again under pressure. As Myplant already notes, inflation, energy prices and international political uncertainty are hitting businesses hard, hampering production, driving up prices, hampering production scheduling and shutting down international trade.
According to Coldiretti, exports for the first half of 2022 have a recorded increase of 9% compared to the first half of 2021, but imports increased by 60%potentially compromising the trade balance for the end of the year.
Moreover, according to Assofloro, the spike in energy costs is unprecedented: nearly +100% summer 2022/summer 2021 for electricity; +80% spring 2022 compared to spring 2021 for fuel; +1,200% July 2022 over 2021 for methane.
“All in all, the exhibition halls will be filled thanks to the trust and efforts of companies, who believe in our fair as a meeting place, have new business opportunities, think of the future. We want to think about the future together. Horticulture is an industry that helps solve climate and environmental problems, benefiting the economy, people’s health and improving the places we inhabit.
We are witnessing a growing interest and sensitivity towards nature: from politics to architecture, from the enhancement of outdoor spaces to urban regeneration, with climate change as a red thread. We must not forget the rise of green living in the domestic sphere, micro-cultures and the awareness of the link that plants have with our well-being. These are all aspects to which the horticultural industry contributes”.
Myplant & Garden – International Green Fair
Myplant & Garden is the most important trade fair for horticulture, garden and landscape in Italy. It is the main reference for Italian industry and international markets. The fair promises green culture, circular economy, environmental protection and green design.
The International Green Exhibition (Fiera Milano-Rho, February 22-24, 2023)