LIn 2022, Italian families will spend almost 800 million euros more on pasta alone than the previous year due to record price increases triggered by the war in Ukraine and distortions within supply chains that impoverish citizens' pockets and harm farmers.
This is revealed by an analysis by Coldiretti based on Istat data that photographs the effects of the 21,6% annual price increase in September for the food product most present on Italian tables.
A bill that – the agricultural organization emphasizes – weighs especially on the poorest families where pasta has a higher impact on daily spending.
If in Milan – according to elaborations Coldiretti based on data from the Price Observatory of the Ministry of Economic Development – a kilo of semolina pasta can cost up to 3,18 euros, in Rome it is around 3,20 euros, in Bologna we are at 3,26 euros, in Palermo 2,48 euros per kilo, in Naples 3,18 euros.
The agricultural organization claims that "the impact of the cost of wheat on the price of penne and spaghetti is marginal, as also demonstrated by the extreme variability of retail prices along the Peninsula while those of wheat are established by international prices.
“A kilo of wheat – he notes – is paid to farmers today at around 47 cents below production costs which have skyrocketed. At a national level, in fact, there has been a collapse in harvests of up to -30% with farmers also having to face increases in production costs ranging from +170% for fertilizers to +129% for diesel with average increases in current costs of 68%” (Coldiretti elaborations on Crea data).
With the strong dependence on foreign countries, the war has therefore multiplied speculative maneuvers and unfair practices on food products, worsening a situation that "sees our country dependent on foreign imports already for 44% of the durum wheat for pasta".
Article published on 3 October 2022 - 14:42
