Growing market for land devoted to historical and new crops

Despite the difficulties linked to the climatic and geopolitical crises and rising production costs that are putting some of the main symbolic productions of Sicilian agriculture in difficulty, the latest Crea report on land market trends confirms the strong bond of producers, especially young people, with the land, a refuge asset par excellence but also an investment in the future with a view to sustainability and innovation.

Sicily leads the data on the purchase and sale of agricultural land in 2024: compared to a 1.2% increase in exchanges recorded at national level in the last quarter of last year, the Islands recorded a growth of 9.6% with over 41,000 hectares bought and sold according to the Crea survey. There is growing interest in areas with a specific vocation such as the slopes of Mount Etna or the islands of Pantelleria and Salina, where fine wine-growing is practised, and in the eastern area of the island, historically oriented towards citrus growing and now also subtropical fruit production. Young people in particular, the report indicates, are increasingly attentive to innovation, the environment and multifunctionality

Lastly, the report offers an overview of the new tools made available to facilitate the purchase of land, starting with the National Bank of Agricultural Land. Now in its seventh edition, the measure managed by Ismea offers 690 plots of land for sale, i.e. potential holdings, totalling more than 17 thousand hectares and a minimum total value of 200 million euro. A budget intended to support investments by young farmers. The land is mainly located in the South: there are 326 plots auctioned in Sicily for 6,750 hectares and a minimum value of 85.5 million.