Bper: the food industry is confirmed as the most dynamic sector in the agrifood supply chain

According to the “Report on the Agrifood Economy” of the Studies, Research and Innovation Office of Bper Banca, theItalian food industry is confirmed in 2025 as the most dynamic and resilient sector of the entire agrifood supply chain.

The main figures

In 2025, the added value of the food industry reaches 42,3 billion euros, with solid growth even after excluding the price effect. This positive figure shows that, unlike agriculture (whose growth reflects, for the most part, the resilience of selling prices), food processing also shows solid growth in real terms, confirming the food industry's ability to establish itself as the most dynamic and resilient engine of the entire supply chain.

The sector, which comprises 513.000 employees and 57.000 active businesses, also shows signs of financial solidity, with system-wide loans amounting to 34,2 billion euros, up 2% year-on-year in December 2025.

Exports

As regards exports, 2025 recorded a new record: agrifood exports exceeded 72,4 billion euros (up 5%), a performance attributable mainly to food industry products, which generate more than 60 billion euros. Unlike the primary sector, which recorded stronger growth in imports of raw materials (+18%), the food, beverage and tobacco industry maintains a positive trade balance, confirming the competitiveness of processed Made in Italy products on international markets.

It is in this context of structural solidity that the supply chain must now navigate a complex international landscape. The United States remain one of the main destinations for Italian agrifood products, but in 2025 exports to that market fell to 7,4 billion euros, with the bilateral balance worsening by approximately 500 million.

The decline appears to be concentrated mainly in the industrial component, particularly in beverages, affecting beer (-71%), spirits (-14,9%), oil (-20,5%) and wine (-9,2%, responsible for approximately 60% of the overall decline in wine exports). However, there are also signs of resilience: soft drinks and water (+11,1%), processed cereals (+6,2%), processed fish products (+7,5%) and dairy products (+11,8%) are growing, supported by premium positioning. In this scenario, PDO products stand out for their particular resilience: despite tariffs remaining high (at least 15%), their low price elasticity and strong qualitative differentiation make them difficult to replace on the American market.

Comments

Marco Lazzari, head of Agri Banking at Bper Banca, commented: “The data 2025 confirm that the Italian food industry is the true engine of the agrifood supply chain, capable of generating value in a solid and resilient manner even in a far from simple international context. The sector's real growth and the export record tell the story of a sector that is not merely defending its positions, but investing to strengthen them. At the same time, trade and geopolitical tensions demonstrate how exposed this supply chain is to exogenous factors that are difficult to anticipate. In this context, the banking system plays a fundamental role: supporting businesses today means being able to assess complex risks and offer financial instruments suited to a period of profound transformation”.

“The data for 2025 confirm the solidity of the Italian food industry, capable of strengthening growth and exports even in a complex international context. Along this path, innovation and digitalisation are also among the factors to be considered, as they are becoming increasingly important for the competitiveness of supply chains: the Agriculture market 4.0 continues in fact to focus on management software, decision-support systems and production monitoring tools. Looking ahead to 2026, it will remain essential to monitor the evolution of US tariffs and the ability of PDO products to continue representing one of the main strengths of Made in Italy”", said Eliana Chessa, head of the Studies, Research and Innovation Office at Bper Banca.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.