Italian food in a nutshell

In the month of February, based on interim figures, the Italian food sector registered a drop of -0.2% on the same month the year previous, and Italian industry as a whole showed, compared to February 2013, a +0.4%, both in interim figures as well as in the exact number of days reading.

Set against a slight downtrend numerous manufacturing segments though show considerable positive signs, thus emerging from recent difficulties. Hence we might again be facing a wellknown phenomenon: the fact that food, after having been sluggish and anticyclical during the worst part of the crisis, is also seen to be sluggish in the relaunch that appears to be tentatively underway. The poor performance of the Italian domestic market at  the beginning of 2014 and, aboveall export oriented forecasts lower than many other Italian manufacturing segments do not help.
Hence in the two months, the food segment shows a 0.2% drop compared to January-February 2013, while, comparing the exact number of working days, the -0.6% of the closing balance for 2013 (-0.7%) is confirmed. Current inertia would imply that a reawakening of consumption and production will only been seen in the last months of this year. (source: informalimentare, 3/2014)