ISMEA: Agricultural added value up 1.4% in the quarter

In the first quarter of 2025, agricultural value added increased by 1.4% compared to the previous quarter. Agri-food exports rose 6% year-on-year, exceeding €18 billion, while overall exports grew by 3.3% over the same period. The value of exports of all major Italian products (bottled wines, coffee, pastries and baked goods, sparkling wines, and aged cheeses) increased, while pasta declined and extra virgin olive oil remained stable. These are some of the data contained in the Ismea AgriMercati report, "The Agri-food Economic Outlook for the First Quarter of 2025." Prices of domestic agricultural products, measured by the Ismea index, increased by 2.3% compared to the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the last quarter of 2024, they decreased by 4.1%, entirely due to crops. Turning to the transformation phase, in the first quarter of 2025, production rates in the food, beverage, and tobacco industries increased by 1.6%, compared to a 3% decline in overall manufacturing. According to data from the ISMEA-NielsenIQ Food Consumption Observatory, household spending increased by 3.8% compared to the same period in 2024. In the first quarter of the year, there were significant increases in meat and seafood, as well as spending on dairy products, driven by cheese and yogurt. Purchases of bread and bread substitutes and ready meals also increased, as did fresh fruit and vegetables. Purchases of wine and sparkling wine decreased; after two years, the report notes, spending on extra virgin olive oil decreased, for which significant increases in purchases were recorded in volume.