|
|
|
Dr. Marco Nardi -
Italian Seed Trade Association |
April 2003 |
|
|
 |
Imagine that you are sitting down in
an airplane and the fellow next to you turns out to be a
seedsman from another country who doesn't know much about the
seed business in Italy and the opportunities it offers his
company, but is eager to learn.
What would you
tell him about Italian
agriculture and the seed sector, its focus, its strengths and
the opportunities it offers to foreign customers and partners? |
 |
Well, the
idea of a movie, with an imaginary airplane trip, to
illustrate not only the historical and natural beauties and
resources, but especially the richness of the Italian
agriculture and the opportunities for seed business in Italy,
was one of the options considered during the organization of
the FIS Congress of Rome in 2000.
The Italian territory is
characterised predominantly by hills and mountains and is
rather poor of wide plains. However its agriculture is very
varied and rich, mainly in horticulture, fruit-growing and
viticulture.
The most important field cultivations
are durum wheat, from which the famous Italian pasta is
obtained, then maize and rice. Pasta, together with tomato and
olive oil are the basic ingredients of the well known
"mediterranean diet".
All the seed productions may be
carried out in Italy. In 2002, a surface of 230,000 Ha ( www.ense.it/stati.htm)
has been devoted to seed production - mainly durum and common
wheat, rice and alfalfa - out of little less 6 millions of Ha
of total surface destined to arable crops.
Also the surface devoted to vegetable
seed multiplication, about 11,500 Ha, is quite considerable.
Among the most important seed
multiplications, it's worth recalling, for their quality, the
rice and sugar beet, as well as the vegetable seeds, for which
Italy is a leading country in Europe, thanks to the presence
of a very favourable environments and the professional
abilities of seed companies. |
| |
 |
|
|
|
