Agri-food sector slowed down by the EU, imports on the island increase
Insufficient production: «Paradoxical rules and high costs»
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And to think that Sardinians, when they push their carts, are very careful about what they buy: the propensity of families to buy "zero kilometer" products is the highest in Italy, 41% carefully look at the origin of fruit and vegetables, while the Italian average is just over 23%. In short: there would be all the conditions to increase local agri-food production, but on this front the Island is not accelerating, on the contrary.
"Unfortunately, we import about double what we produce," Luca Saba, regional director of Coldiretti, cuts short, "and there are various reasons. I am thinking of the condition of insularity, the delays on the logistics front and the fragmentation of companies: companies are too small and are unable to enter the large-scale distribution circuit, where it is important to guarantee regular and standardized production."
The knots
Young people attracted by the world of the countryside and livestock farming are few, despite the potential market exceeding one billion euros. In the last fifteen years, about 13 thousand hectares of cultivated land have been abandoned. But it is not just a question of a low propensity to do business in the agri-food galaxy. Sometimes the production system of the Island is held back by contradictions and paradoxes: "Let's think about the cattle sector. With the exception of Arborea, we have very few fattening centers in Sardinia. Here the calves are born and after six to eight months they are sold to companies on the continent. They raise them, slaughter them and resell the meat to large-scale distribution on the Island", summarizes Pietro Tandeddu, until last year at the helm of Copagri Sardegna.
The rules
The obstacles then come from bureaucracy. Especially the European one. The expansion of Sardinian wine companies, for example, is held back by EU regulations that limit the possibility of increasing the surfaces dedicated to Cannonau, Vermentino and other varieties. "You can only grow by 1% each year. This aspect certainly limits the productivity potential", explains Giovanni Pinna, general manager of the Sella&Mosca winery.
