ISHS Acta Horticulturae 495: WCHR - World Conference on Horticultural Research
RESEARCH PURSUITS IN HORTICULTURE OF THE ITALIAN MINISTRY FOR AGRICULTURAL POLICY |
| Author: | V. Pilo |
| Abstract:
Italy's horticulture industry, in the two difficult decades of reconstruction immediately following World War II, rose to become one of Europe's leaders as to both production and exports by virtue of the professional skills of its highly motivated growers, packers, and marketing agents as well as the public-sector services supporting them. The subsequent growth in the purchasing power of the nation's domestic market brought about marked changes in consumer habits and tastes. The Italian consumer could look beyond the necessities of life to luxury goods, an option that was even more eagerly exercised if the items were attractively packaged and came with the reputation of status symbol; two horticultural examples are out-of-season fruits and vegetables, and exotic or newly developed flowers. By the late 1980s it was the world-wide horticulture industry that underwent radical changes in its system of production and marketing. This caused Italy's competitiveness in the global arena to suffer as inroads were made by other countries operating in a more congenial atmosphere of lower labor costs, or their exploitation of advanced production technologies and strategies to improve market share. The impact of these factors was most noticeable in Italy's flower and citrus industries, which proved less flexible than other sectors in responding to technological developments and the growing demand for higher quality produce. The application of the recently signed WTO agreements also played a role in this trend by reducing EU tariff barriers on imports. Its most noticeable effect in both Italy's and the overall EU market was to benefit those countries capable of deploying new competitive strategies and had the potential to weaken the ability of Italy's horticulture industry to retain existing or even expand market share. | |
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