According to EastFruit, Egypt remains the leading supplier of imported artichokes in Italy, both in fresh and frozen form. The amount of Egyptian artichokes that enter the Italian market varies from 9 to 15 thousand tons per season (roughly from July to June). Egyptian exporters have a strong advantage in the frozen segment, where they face less competition than in the market for fresh artichokes.
Italy is the world’s top producer of artichokes, with an annual output of 370 to 390 thousand tons. However, this is not enough to meet the demand of Italian consumers, and the country also imports a large quantity of artichokes from other suppliers. Italy is the second largest importer of fresh artichokes in the world, as well as a net importer of frozen artichokes. Every year, Italy exports 4-6 thousand tons of fresh artichokes, but imports twice or three times as much. The export of frozen artichokes from Italy has been negligible in the last four years, not exceeding 500 tons per year.
Interestingly, Egypt is the second largest producer of artichokes in the world, after Italy, and the Italian market is the main destination for both its fresh and frozen exports. In the market for imported fresh artichokes in Italy, Egypt has been slightly behind Tunisia in the recent seasons. For instance, in the season 2022/23 (July-June), Italy imported 5.6 thousand tons of fresh artichokes from Tunisia and 4.3 thousand tons from Egypt. This trend has been consistent since the end of the season 2018/19, when Egypt was the leader.
The peak of fresh artichoke imports in Italy coincides with the peak of its own production, from late winter to early spring. During this time, the Italian market receives fresh artichokes not only from local sources, but also from Tunisia, Egypt, and to a lesser extent, Spain. France, on the other hand, mainly exports fresh artichokes to Italy in May-November, ranking as the third largest exporter to the Italian market.
The import of frozen artichokes in Italy is almost entirely dependent on Egypt, which accounts for up to 95% of the supply, depending on the season. Small amounts of frozen artichokes also come to the Italian market from Spain, Belgium, and France. Egypt maintains its presence in the frozen segment of the Italian market throughout the year, although the highest export volumes are achieved in February-June.
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