"In 2020, Italy increased its potato production by 8% while maintaining the cultivated areas of the previous year. The increase in production is the consequence of a higher demand for domestic produce," reports Matteo Zanarini from 'Zanarini Agromarketing' who, last week, took part in a webinar on current potato trends in Europe organized by Business France, the commercial offices of the French Embassy in Italy.
"This is also confirmed by the data on imports, which shows how they dropped by 18% in 2020. The only country that increased exports to our country was Germany, which grows a very competitive produce when it comes to prices."
Fresh potato consumption
Potato consumption increased by 11% in 2020. Common potatoes did particularly well with +16.5%, while new potatoes saw a decrease in quantities purchased (-10%).
"Purchases changed a lot with the Covid emergency - Italians tend to prefer canned products that last longer and the sale of rice, pasta and tomato purée increased by over 50%, as did that of flour (+82%). Potatoes are the most popular when it comes to fresh produce. According to CSO data, potato purchases increased by 39% in March 2020, 35% in April 2020 and 13% in May 2020. The long shelf-life, contained cost and various uses (mashed potatoes, gnocchi, fries, baked) make all the difference. In 2020, the increase in potato purchases grew by 11% compared to 2019. The average sale price lowered by 3% (from €1.07/kg in 2019 to €1.04%/kg in 2020)."
Matteo Zanarini
The prolonged quarantine led to a change in consumer habits also when it comes to the preferred sales channel: big retail chains went from 67% in March 2019 to 72% in March 2020. Stalls registered significant losses (-34% in March 2020 compared to 2019).
"2020 ended with a 2% increase in fresh produce purchases for big retail chains and a 7% increase in value, due mostly to the higher price of fruit. Hypermarkets saw their sales drop by 5%. Compared to some traditional circuits, however, there has been a 9% growth in fresh produce sales. Italian consumers prefer buying from greengrocers (+25% in 2020 compared to 2019) than from stalls or fresh produce markets (-10%). What is more, the search for healthier and safer products has led to a greater consumption of packaged produce."
Contacts
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