Empty shelves and perishable goods: roadblocks are exacerbating the crisis in the agri-food sector
The shortfall in fruit and vegetable supplies from the southern regions is also affecting central Italia. And the food industry is sounding the alarm over perishable goods such as milk
Key points
The situation regarding supplies of agrifood products is worsening, particularly in the South, where goods are failing to reach supermarkets due to the various road transport blockades across Italia. There is a twofold risk: on the one hand, there is a shortage of fresh produce for consumers; on the other, the high perishability of the goods – which are often stranded at production sites – risks resulting in a massive waste of food, with extremely heavy costs, particularly for agricultural producers.
There is a shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables on the shelves
The countdown relates in particular to fruit and vegetables, but as the days go by, another critical issue is emerging: that of milk. This is the gist of the warnings issued in recent hours by farmers through Legacoop Agri-Food, by the retail sector through the Rome Agri-Food Centre, and by the processing industry through warnings from Unione Italiana Food and Assolatte.
Car di Roma: on vegetables imported from Albania and Spain
“There are growing problems with the supply of fruit and vegetables destined for the capital,” commented a spokesperson for the CAR in Rome – due to uncertainty over journey times and high operating costs, which are triggering a knock-on effect that is preventing farms from shipping perishable goods and threatening the regular supply of fresh produce to markets. The crisis, which was initially concentrated in Campania, Sicily, Calabria and Puglia, is spreading and has now come to affect southern Lazio as well.”
Crucial supplies from the South are missing, such as peppers, aubergines, table grapes and tomatoes. ‘To make up for these supply shortfalls,’ explain officials at the CAR, ‘there has been a sharp rise in imports, with round vine tomatoes from Albania selling for around 2 euros per kg and peppers from Spain at 3.80 euros per kg, economically viable alternatives, but ones that struggle to fully replace locally sourced produce for consumers who value the Italian supply chain.”
“A prolongation of the protests over high fuel prices,” the CAR continues, “risks causing incalculable economic losses for producers in the South, who are forced to let their crops go to waste, and passing on further price rises to consumers’ food bills.”
