Around 250 billion euros of production value in 2022 generated by 1.2 million companies and 1.5 million employees. With approximately 6.4 billion euros, Abruzzo and Molise generate 2.6% of Italian Agrifood turnover and boast a high specialization in various supply chains of the sector.
The spread of businesses extends to all provinces, with the province of Chieti standing out for the greatest number of specializations (from strictly agricultural production to the production of oil, wine and pasta). Specializations that belong to 65 thousand companies, equal to 5.5% of the national Agrifood business fabric, and over 68 thousand employees. This is what emerges from the UniCredit Economies Forum, where an analysis by Prometeia on the prospects of agrifood was presented with a focus on Abruzzo and Molise.
The vast majority of the over 65 thousand agrifood companies located in Abruzzo and Molise have a turnover of less than 2 million euros (in particular, in the agricultural sector those with a turnover exceeding 2 million are only 83). A productive fabric of small and very small businesses which, however, has great importance within the individual territories, both in terms of production and employment, with peaks higher than the regional average for the provinces of Chieti and Teramo (around 10% of the incidence of Agrifood production on the total provincial economy and above 15% on employment levels).
Abruzzo and Molise companies have achieved good performances on foreign markets (+9.3% average annual growth in Abruzzo exports, +19.2% in Molise agri-food exports in the last five years, compared to the Italian average +8.3%). A result achieved in particular thanks to the exploits of the milling, pasta and wine industries. On the export front, however, the regions still highlight important spaces for growth, which can only be seized by overcoming the size limits of companies that hinder full access to the opportunities offered by international markets (only 2% of Italian Agrifood exports originate in the Abruzzo and Molise regions).
On the domestic front, tourism and consumption outside the home have provided important support to the growth of the internal market of the supply chain, compared to domestic consumption, penalized by high inflation. The tourism numbers, in particular, show a positive trend for Abruzzo, which already in 2022 had almost recovered pre-Covid levels and in a long-term perspective increased both the presences and the stay of tourists, especially foreigners. An important signal in the direction of intercepting not only passing or proximity tourism but also experiential tourism, with potential positive impacts on the agri-food chain. The attractiveness of the area has been enriched in recent years by a formidable infrastructure in the province of Chieti, the Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi. A driving force with enormous potential to attract new tourists and connect the territories that gravitate around it, supporting the development of the agri-food chain.
Post Views: 14
