There are encouraging signs from the export data for Italian cheeses in the first quarter of 2021, which show a breakeven in foreign turnover compared to 2020 (+ 0.1%) and even an increase in volumes sold (+ 1.1%). This is the scenario that emerges from the processing of Alleanza Cooperative Agroalimentari on the foreign trade data relating to the first quarter of 2021 published yesterday by Istat. Once again, the European market proves to be the tip of the balance of our exports. In March alone, Italy increased intra-community sales by 22%, reaching almost 200 million euros. This performance offset the losses in January and February, bringing the cumulative EU figure for the first quarter to + 4.9% in volume and + 2.8% in value compared to 2020.
"This is a reversal of the trend compared to the beginning of the year", comments Giovanni Guarneri, the coordinator of the dairy sector of Alleanza Cooperative Agroalimentari, "which bodes well in view of the summer months and a gradual and gradual reopening of the Horeca channel in many countries. However, we evaluate the data recorded in March with great caution, since these are variations compared to March of last year, when the scenario saw the market already hit by the first major repercussions caused by the pandemic”.
In non-EU markets, the United Kingdom (-15.4% in value compared to the first quarter of last year) and Japan (-32% in value) continue to suffer, while the US recorded a slight growth in March, which reduces the cumulative negative figure for the quarter which stood at -10.5%. China continues to record record increases, which almost triples the sales in value recorded in the first three months of 2020. With regard to the categories, in the three months, there is still the growth of fresh products (especially mascarpone and mozzarella) and provolone; all the other products fell even if with less substantial variations compared to the period January-February 2021. The month of March, in fact, showed double-digit growth for the export of almost all the products surveyed: among others, Pecorino +31 %, Gorgonzola + 19%, Grana and Parmesan + 13%.