Exports to Russia have been blocked by the war, while exports to China are resisting and growing. The sales of the Sardinian manufacturing sector on the red giant market are worth over 10 million euros per year . Of these, 8 million and 490 thousand euros come from micro and small businesses that deal with agri-food, wood, minerals, beverages, metallurgy, agricultural products, textiles and chemicals.
The data emerges from the analysis of the Research Department of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, on the basis of Istat data relating to exports for the last 12 months available (June 2021-June 2022).
The comparison with five years from shows that there is a slight decrease of about 1 million and 600 thousand in general terms (they were 11 million and 900 thousand euros in 2017) while there is an increase in SME exports of about 700 thousand (they were 7 million and 800 thousand euro again in 2017).
At a territorial level, explained by Confartigianato, " the major exporters of Sardinian products to Beijing are the companies of Oristano with a total of 4 million and 682 thousand euros, of which 4,561 made by SMEs . The province of Sassari-Gallura follows with 4 million euros. 214 thousand euros, of which 3 million and 175 thousand from small and medium-sized enterprises, with Cagliari in third place with 612 thousand euros, of which 327 from SMEs.
"In an export landscape that is still gloomy and uncertain - comments the president of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, Maria Amelia Lai - the data of Sardinian international trade towards the Dragon are interesting even if they leave room for enormous growth margins , if we think of the vastness of the territory and of the population ".
The president adds that "there are many Chinese export companies looking for products that can satisfy the growing desires of new local consumers, such as foods that complement their traditional food and wine culture: in fact, it is not a question of supplanting a very strong tradition and millenary, but rather to supply these consumers with the products that have made Italy famous ”.
