Where do Italian companies export to?

Italy in danger Commercial desertification. Alarming data recently released by the research department confcommerce, according to which a total of 99,000 stores disappeared between 2012 and 2022. There are also 16,000 itinerant trading companies, i.e. a total of 106,000 closed businesses.

But there is one area in the commercial sector that is doing well and that is exports. After the setback in December, exports to non-EU countries are growing again on a monthly basis in January 2023; The growth recently announced by Istat is driven by occasional high impact operations (shipbuilding) recorded in the previous month, excluding which a more significant increase is estimated (+3.3%).

In detail, in January 2023, the Institute for Statistics determined annual increases in exports to almost all important partner countries outside the EU-27: The most significant relate to China (+137.5%), Turkey (+46.9%) and OPEC countries (+26.2%). The drop in exports to Russia widens (-37%); Sales to Japan also fell (-13.7%).

But it is above all a country characterized by the export of Made in Italy, ieAfrica. According to Confidustria data, it is estimated that by 2030, for the territory of North Africa (and the Middle East) alone, around a hundred million people will enter the middle class, who will demand consumer goods for a value equal to the current Italian GDP. Even ICE, the agency for foreign promotion and internationalization of Italian companies, has published a report showing an estimate of the volume growth of world trade in goods and services of 4.1% in 2022 and 3.2% in 2023. Geographically, the highest increases are expected for Central Asia (+15.5%) and North Africa (+9.2%).

In detail, Italian exports to Africa break down into 12 billion euros in North Africa (and 6.1 billion in sub-Saharan Africa, where the main markets are the Republic of South Africa (2.3 billion), Nigeria (1 billion), Senegal and Angola ( 0.3 billion), Ghana and Kenya (0.2 billion).The regions with the highest exports is la Lombardyfollowed by Sardinia, Sicily, Liguria, Emilia Romagna And Veneto.

What Italian companies export to Africa

Food is at the top of the list, he explains to Agi anthony montanari, Vice President of Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo:

“In 2030, the value of the African agricultural sector is estimated at one trillion dollars: given its development potential, we have been trying for some time to promote mergers between Italian and African entrepreneurs as a key to the development of agribusiness in Africa. The results are amazing. 65% of the arable land not yet cultivated is on this continent, digital innovations drive development by opening new possibilities, which is why we support Italian companies to internationalize. In 2021, exports amounted to 1.39 billion euros: in clichés, Africa is the land of aid, for us it is the land of opportunities, especially in the agribusiness sector.”

This is followed by machines, industrial plants and fuels, means of transport, chemical products, building materials and furnishing components. But also Made in Italy design, which has already reached a value of 3 billion euros in Africa, is concentrated in a dozen countries, among others Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Angola, Ivory Coast. The Morocco and the Nigeria in particular, they are the outlets with the highest growth rate.

Spain also loves Made in Italy

But Italian products are also very popular in Italy Spainas emerges from a meeting organized in Madrid, on which the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Spain has carried out an in-depth analysis.

In the first 10 months of 2022, exports of Italian products increased by 25.47% and beverages by 28.39% compared to the same period last year. In addition, it is estimated that the export of Italian products to Spain in 2022 exceeded 1 2.1 billion euros.