A strategy for agri-food, against unfair competition and EU constraints. Speak Lollobrigida

“The Italian kitchen? Unbeatable ”, says the new Minister of Agriculture to break the ice Francesco Lollobrigida. Taken for granted? Not really, because basically that joke is also a programmatic line. “There Italian agricultural production – explains the former FdI group leader to the Chamber, guest of the conference organized yesterday by Foglio and Banco Bpm in Milan – it competes not on quantity but on quality, on the excellence of our supply chains: it must be defended from Italian sounding, from the aggression of the various Prosek and Parmesan“.

In these two weeks at the ministry, he says, “I have listened to producers complaining about high prices and high energy. Agriculture can be a fundamental asset of the national economy. But although the Italian one is among the greenest in the EU, it suffers from European constraints that prevent farmers from obtaining the right earnings. Meanwhile, we import from countries that are acting in unfair competition for workers’ rights and environmental sustainability “. Celebration of Made in Italy and defense of identity, even among the cultivated fields. After all, the new name of the ministry – alongside Agriculture, the “food and forestry sovereignty” – it was clear. A ban on malicious polemics, the minister replies, “we need to get back to talking about agriculture and the wealth of our territory. This is also done with the new name, which means recognizing producers the centrality they deserve. The idea is that everyone must be fed quality food ”. Thus, while Rome is clashing with Paris on migrants, the “brother-in-law in chief” says that in order to rename the dicastery they “wanted imitate France“, Because” it knew better than us to defend its products “.

But onomastics is surface, let’s go deeper: what are the strategies? “We are not very independent. We have planned our strategies on the cost of raw materials. For example: since we pay less for imported wheat, we have stopped producing it. Now, against the European agri-food crisis, economic interventions are needed to prevent companies from closing down ”. Many experts at the conference illustrated the tools that could save us: biotechnology promises great opportunities. “As long as there is this government on our children’s plates lab-made steaks will never arrive”Replies the minister. “We have no prejudices about other tools that strengthen plants but first we want to be sure they safeguard health and quality”.

• Enrico Cicchetti

• Born in the lands of Virgil in a sultry September 1987, he seeks refreshment in those of Aeneas. Al Foglio since 2016. On Twitter he is @e_cicchetti