Italian salami sector at risk
The Italian salami sector is facing a crisis as raw materials have become expensive and many companies are confronted with the risk of collapse. According to Nicola Levoni, president of Assica, the Italian meat and salami industrial association, the sector has been confronted for too long with "a series of unprecedented problems that are exhausting companies in the sector". The lack of raw materials, trade obstacles and higher prices are threatening the future for many firms in this sector. "If market conditions do not improve significantly in the coming months, allowing an adequate recognition of the final price of the product, as early as March at least 30% of our companies will be in a situation of economic and financial difficulty", said Mr. Levoni, quoted by the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
In Italy, pork prices have jumped by 40% in the last 6 months due to increased demand from China and a decline in production figures in the EU. Nicola Levoni has urged the government to adopt a set of measures meant to support the producers. In response, the Minister of Agriculture, Teresa Bellanova, said that the authorities are ready to invest €1.5 million in "a strong communication campaign on cured meats" and an intervention plan to promote and protect Italian products in the following years is to be set in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since March, China has increased its pork imports generating an upward spiral in prices in suppling markets such as France, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.
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