In Italy, data from the latest census conducted by the national statistics institute, Istat, on the state of agriculture in the country was recently released. There were 1.133 mln active farms in October 2020 with a UAA (utilised agricultural area) of 12.5 thousand hectares and a AA (total agricultural area) of 16.5 thousand hectares. The number of farms is down by 52.7% and 30%, respectively, compared to the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
The average farmland used increased from 7.9 in the last survey and from 5.5 hectares in the previous one to 11.1 in the current one. The total number of employees in the sector is 2.8 mln (1.9 mln men and 0.8 mln women), down 28.8% from 2010. On the crops front, 64.4% of the holdings are dedicated to arable crops, accounting for 57.4 hectares of UAA; 71.4% (17.4 of UAA) to agricultural woody crops, predominantly olives and vines; 25.4% (25.0 of UAA) to meadows and pastures; and 14.4% (0.1 of UAA) to family gardens.
In the three-year period 2018/2020, about 125,000 companies made at least one innovative investment in over 248,000 'interventions', 28% of which were in the mechanisation sector. This sector recorded high sales volumes in Italy in the first half of 2022, albeit lower than the record levels reached in 2021. Indeed, in the period between January and June, registration data (source: FederUnacoma) indicate a drop for tractors of 11.9% with 11,050 registered units, a number that remains above the average of the last four years, when sales in the first half of the year were around 10,000 units.
Registrations were down, but still at high levels, also for combine harvesters (-5.7% over 2021) and loader bed tractors (-15%), which recorded 216 and 278 units sold respectively. A more significant downturn affected the performance of telescopic handlers (-26.6% to 555 units sold), the product type that had grown the most in the first half of last year (+85%). Trailers were also down, with 4,332 units registered, down 9.2% compared to the same period of 2021. According to FederUnacoma, the drop in sales observed between January and June was not due to a drop in demand, which, on the contrary, continues to be strong, but rather to problems in the supply chain.
The sector therefore confirms its good health, although the rest of the year could be affected by the variables related to the cost of raw materials and the developments of the geopolitical situation.
The next edition of EIMA, the International Exhibition of Agricultural and Gardening Machinery scheduled to take place in Bologna (I) from 9 to 13 November 2022, will be an opportunity to take stock of international market trends and learn about the latest innovations in the agro-mechanical field.
