A study by Camera di Commercio di Milano (Milan Chamber of Commerce) has found that Italy imports approximately ten times more fish than it exports.
As reported by Repubblica.it, the study found that current import levels are growing 10.5% year-on-year, while exports are growing by 1.3%. It also found that fish imports are valued at more than €4 billion.
There are more than 30,000 companies operating in the production and trade of fish and seafood, according to the study. Naples boasts the largest number of companies (2,269), followed by Rovigo (2,157 companies), Ferrara (1,801 companies), Roma (1,705 companies) and Venice (1,326 companies).
The total number of companies stood at 30,282 at the end of the first quarter, according to ISTAT surveys.
Angelo Valentini, an adviser at Assofood, part of Confcommercio Milano, said that there was "concern about the drop in volumes" for the fish caught in Italy.
Elsewhere, Repubblica.it quoted a new study by WWF Italy that found that Italian consumers now consume around 25 kilograms of fish per person per year, compared to 16 kilograms a few years ago
Despite this increase, Italy still places behind many other European markets in terms of fish consumption, such as Portugal (53.8 kg per consumer), Lithuania (43.6 kg), Spain (42.4 kg). Finland (36.4 kg) and France (33.5 kg).
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Francesca Volpe. Sign-up for a subscription to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
