Over the next 4 years, Italian exports are expected to increase by an average 4.7% per year, according to a forecast is contained in the RESTART report produced by SACE, Italy’s export credit group. The report estimates that Italian exports of goods will increase by 3.9% in 2015, to then increase even more in 2016-18, to around 5%. Two roads are suggested in the report to strengthen our companies’ presence on international markets. The first is to boost the agri-food sector – a leading sector of the “Made in Italy” brand, representing about 10% of our total exports. And the second is to identify more promising geographical areas for Italian products, by creating a new indicator: the Export Opportunity Index.
SACE expects the agri-food sector and its supply chain to play a driving role in the increased internationalisation of our country. It estimates potential additional export revenues of 9 billion euro by the end of 2018: 7 billion from the agri-food segment and another 2 billion from machinery, of which 84% in agricultural machinery. For SACE, the agricultural and food sector will be particularly dynamic over the next 4 years, with an expected average growth in exports of 6.5% from 2016 to 2018.
As a second route to help our companies strengthen their position in international markets, SACE has set up an Export Opportunity Index. The index acts as a compass to help companies grasp demand from foreign countries and opportunities for Italian exports. The score allocated to each country is calculated on the basis of / is based on the value of the goods exported, the estimated growth in Italian exports in the 2011-2018 period, the concentration of imports in the country and the current Italian market share. The best destinations include Saudi Arabia, the Arab Emirates, Algeria and Qatar, and, further east, South Korea, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. Markets closer to home, such as Turkey and Poland (a market as big as Russia, in terms of volumes of Italian exports), continue to be strongly attractive.
