The decline is the result of contractions in sales of the main specialization products to the most important commercial partners.
Piedmont Export
In the first quarter of 2024 the value of Piedmontese exports of goods amounted to 15.4 billion euros, recording a decrease compared to the same period of the previous year (-2.1%), a dynamic which however appears more contained than that experienced both at national level and from the main Italian exporting regions.
In the same period, the value of imported goods amounted to 11.7 billion euros, 6.4% less than in the January-March 2023 quarter, bringing the trade balance to +3.7 billion euros, in slight decrease compared to 4.1 the previous year.
“In this first quarter of the year, Piedmontese exports recorded -2.1%, a figure in line with that of Italy (-2.8%) and the North West (-3.4%). A result that is still better than other Italian regions that are traditionally our competitors such as Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. The decline in Piedmont’s exports affects more than one sector, especially mechanics, metals, the chemical sector and rubber-plastics. Even the means of transport – especially motor vehicles and automotive components – show less than brilliant trends, while the food and textile sectors are holding up. Furthermore, our exports are suffering more on the non-EU market than on the European one. In this context, it is increasingly necessary to promote the excellence of our region, invest in new paths of innovation and entrepreneurial growth, facilitate access to credit and improve material and immaterial connections outside our borders” commented Gian Paolo Coscia, President of Unioncamere Piedmont.
At a national level, in the first quarter of 2024 exports in value show a decline of 2.8% on an annual basis, a synthesis of very different territorial dynamics: a marked growth is noted for the Islands (+8.9%) and relatively more contained for the South (+4.3%), while the North-East (-2.4%) and the North-West (-3.4%) show a decline and the Center (-10.4%) a sharp contraction.
In this context, Piedmont stands as the fourth exporting region, with a share equal to 10% of national exports, having recorded an overall less negative result than both the Italian data (-2.8%) and the regional one (- 3.4%).
Among the main exporting regions, Lombardy confirms itself first in terms of value of sales across borders, generating 26.0% of national exports, followed by Emilia-Romagna (13.5%) and Veneto (12.9%).
The dynamics exhibited by these realities in the first quarter of 2024 appears more negative than the Piedmontese data, Veneto declines by 5.1%, Lombardy shows a contraction of 3.4% and Emilia-Romagna marks a -3.0 % compared to the first quarter of 2023. Tuscany, in contrast, achieved a growth in its exports of 4.4%, reaching a share of the national total of 9.7% (it was 9.0% in the first quarter of 2023).
