Massimo Savini, from RLA, has been working in the sector for decades and, after reading the news about this week's demonstrations, drew the following conclusions.
FreshPlaza (FP): What do you think about the demonstration that will be held on March 18th?
FreshPlaza (FP): What do you think about the demonstration that will be held on March 18th?
Massimo Savini (MS): I think it's fine if they want to do it, but I'm not sure what they're demonstrating for and, most of all, what they're demonstrating against. There are three parties in this situation - road haulage, the associations and the government. Our situation is also partly due to foreign companies which, in most cases, are more efficient than ours because they are bigger and work together. I don't think we are striking against them.
FP: But people are asking for rules that apply to everyone.
MS: Of course. Laws that must be respected, otherwise authorities must intervene. But there's no need for a strike to obtain that, we only need correctness and more checks. But I would also like to ask one question: would costs be higher if everyone followed the rules? Would the horticultural world be ready so sustain them?
FP: What are the limits of Italian logistics?
MS: We've been left behind. We developed refrigerated transport and are now afraid of everyone. Holland teaches logistics to the younger generations while, in our country, even lay-bys are missing. Only very few ports are equipped to handle fresh produce.
FP: What can the government do to support the sector?
MS: The government must pass laws suitable for what's going on today. I don't believe in gifts and loopholes, I believe in fair rules. We need to adapt to changes in this world, because this world definitely won't adapt to our slow pace.
FP: How should the sector change?
MS: By working together and signing agreements not only on a domestic, but on an European level. We need to look at what foreign companies are doing in order to create a logistics network that can help drive costs down.
FP: Do you not believe in the discounts on petrol?
MS: Intelligence and farsightedness are more important than the cost of petrol. In Italy, we've never had a serious logistics policy. It is more expensive to transfer produce from Sicily to Milan than to ship produce to Africa by sea. It's clearly not just a question of petrol costs, but of organising ourselves in general.
Contacts:
Massimo Savini
Rete logistica agroalimentare
Via Dell'Arrigoni 308, Cesena
Tel: (+39) 0547/657840
E-mail: info@rlaitalia.it
Sito: www.rlaitalia.it