The wine supply chain writes to the minister Bellanova

With a letter addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Teresa Bellanova, the wine supply chain - which brings together the main organizations of the sector Confagricoltura, CIA, Copagri, Alleanza delle Cooperative Italiane, Unione italiana Vini, Federvini, Federdoc and Assoenologi - has put on paper the difficulties that the wine world is experiencing, in relation to the serious crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19 and has made proposals to the Government to mitigate the damage suffered by the sector.

 

The persistence of the COVID-19 emergency in Italy and its spread at a global level determines a situation of considerable difficulty due to the inevitable contraction in consumption, the closure of public establishments, and the increasingly complex logistics that slow down any type of planning of activities, including promotion on international markets. Added to this is the lack of reception in hotels, holiday farms and restaurants, which has taken away a natural outlet for national productions, as well as a very valid promotional support for Italian wines to national and foreign buyers.

 

The persistence of the COVID-19 emergency in Italy and the growing global spread of the epidemic, therefore, risks creating an excess stock of products in the cellar close to the next harvest campaign and makes the context particularly uncertain, slowing down any kind of planning of promotional actions in international markets.

 

To deal with this scenario and to bring relief to the sector, the organizations in the sector have proposed to the Minister, in the broadest spirit of collaboration, an initial series of measures.

 

With a view to the next Council of Agriculture Ministers in Brussels, the proposals are moving, with the request to draw up a common strategy of extraordinary support for the agri-food sector together with the other European partners, while for the wine sector we must start with a strong injection of flexibility in the measures already in place, including the system of authorizations for the planting of vineyards, the restructuring of vineyards, investments and promotion to free resources for the sector so that it can give, even in this difficult time, a contribution to support and revitalize the national economy.

 

At the national level, the supply chain has asked the Bellanova Minister to convene the wine table to act as a control room for the sector for urgent support initiatives. For the world of Italian wine, it is necessary to provide a "Strategic Plan to support national wine exports" articulated on sector missions, integrated communication plans on the most receptive international markets with provision for extraordinary promotional and support measures for the demand for wine, both for the foreign and domestic markets, to be structured with testimonials, opinion leaders and "ambassadors" at national and international level, as well as initiatives aimed at ensuring liquidity for companies and streamlining bureaucracy.

 

Source: Joint Press Office Confagricoltura, CIA, Copagri, Alleanza delle Cooperative Italiane, Unione italiana Vini, Federvini, Federdoc and Assoenologi.