Three multinational companies are currently controlling Italy's agricultural trade, causing concern for farmers and producers, according to reports by Ansa.
As a result of mergers between Bayer and Monsanto, DuPont and Dow Chemical, and the recent acquisition of Syngenta by ChemChina, 75% of the country's agrochemical trade and 63% of the seed business are now owned by these companies.
Bargaining Power
Italian farmers' association Coldiretti has expressed concern about the current situation, stating that it creates a "strong imbalance in bargaining power" at the expense of farmers.
"As far as Italy is concerned, this is a serious worry," the organisation said. "If few companies are able to control such trades, this could compromise food biodiversity in each country.”
It noted that 300,000 companies in the country rely on an agricultural consortium system in order to sustain development and maintain the competitiveness of Italian agriculture against multinationals’ excessive power.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Francesca Volpe. Sign-up for a subscription to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
