ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Food resources, in times like the ones we live in, with war on the borders of Europe, acquire even more value. We have seen this relative to wheat in the dispute over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. New clouds, meanwhile, seem to be gathering on the horizon, harbingers of unmotivated protectionism, of market closures with an incomprehensibly autarkic flavor, which would significantly damage sectors of excellence such as wine and oil.”
This was said by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in his speech in Rome at the 44th Forum on Oil and Wine Culture organized by the Italian Sommelier Foundation. “Producing for self-consumption would lead Italy back to the agriculture of the early 20th century,” the head of state added. “Legitimately, producer associations are expressing concern about the fate of exports. Measures such as those being threatened would, moreover, give further impetus to so-called “Italian sounding” products, with further consequences for Italian production chains, as it is unimaginable that consumers from other continents would give up lightly to chase after tastes they have learned to appreciate. Trade and interdependence are guarantors of peace. In history, pitting hostile markets against each other has led to other, more serious forms of conflict. Open markets produce a dense network of partnerships that, in the common interest, protect peace.”
– Quirinal press office photo –
(ITALPRESS)
