Italian agro‑food production rises in Q1 2026 amid mixed sector performance

In the first quarter of 2026 Italy’s economy continued to grow, with GDP up 0.3 % from the previous quarter and 0.8 % year‑on‑year. Agricultural output slipped slightly by 0.5 % compared with Q4 2025, while industrial activity held steady and services expanded by 0.4 %.

According to the CREA‑Agritrend bulletin, food‑industry production increased by 0.7 %, outperforming the broader manufacturing sector’s 0.3 % rise. In contrast, the beverage sector fell 2.9 %. Turnover for the food industry declined about 2 % overall, with exports down 1.6 % and domestic sales down 1.9 %. The beverage segment contracted 4.2 %, especially abroad (‑11.4 %). Agricultural trade also slowed, with exports down roughly 1 % and imports down 5 %.

Export composition shifted: dairy products rose 4.3 % and fresh fruit showed growth, while wine fell 8 %, confectionery ‑6 % and olive oil plunged 29 %. Export volumes to Spain grew 9.3 % and to Poland 10.6 %, whereas shipments to Germany slipped 1 %.