The agri-food sector stands as Italy's primary economic driver, comprising both primary agriculture and the food, beverage, and tobacco industries. With 1.38 million employees in 2022, it remains the most significant employer in the country. Following closely are the metallurgy and the metal products sector with 736,000 employees, and the machinery and mechanical appliances sector ranking third with 480,000 employees. This sector also leads in production value, surpassing EUR 200 billion, with an added value of EUR 64 billion. Thanks to Agriculture 4.0, investments have experienced a boom in recent years, totaling EUR 6 billion in fixed capital for food, beverages, and tobacco, and EUR 9 billion for agriculture, forestry, and fishing.
Italian agri-food exports have exceeded EUR 60 billion (EUR 60.7 billion in 2022), showcasing steady growth. Notably, Italy excels in numerous segments globally, particularly in cheese production, where it is second only to the Netherlands, reaching about USD 2 billion in 2022. The country also leads in Europe for the production of fruits, vegetables, wine, and oil, totaling EUR 28.4 billion in 2022. Italy's agricultural sector generated EUR 37.2 billion, ranking second only to France within the European Union. The report highlights Italy's strengths in the "made in Italy" vegetable products that play a significant role not only in the national agricultural sector but also on the European and global stages. Italy is among the top three producers in 42 cases within the EU, competing mainly with Spain and France, with top rankings in several agricultural products such as tomatoes, artichokes, melons, and grains. This extraordinary leadership reflects the remarkable efforts made by our entrepreneurial fabric in both production and logistics.
