Italians concerned by impact of war in Ukraine on trade

The vice-president of Italy’s national fresh produce industry association Fruitimprese has commented on the potential for the Russian invasion of Ukraine to have a negative knock-on effect on Italy’s fresh produce trade.

Giacomo Suglia, also president of the Apulian producer association APEO, said: “The two main suppliers of fruit and vegetables to the Ukrainian market – especially apples, grapes, stonefruit and kiwifruit – are Poland and Greece. With the current tense situation, export flows from these two countries to Ukraine could be redirected to the European market, creating a surplus of low-quality and low-priced products. The risk is that they will damage our products, which are more expensive due to their quality.”

The sector is already reeling from the spiralling costs of energy and transportation. Suglia said: “The picture is clear. The crazy prices for energy, gas, materials, transport and logistics are there for all to see. This tsunami is having an avalanche effect on the budgets of productive agricultural companies, which are forced to produce at costs that are not covered by adequate sales prices.”