Meloni says Italy has backed agriculture with over EUR 15 billion
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivered remarks at the event "L'Agricoltura, il Futuro," where she said agriculture is central to Italy's economy, identity and security. She told the audience that the sector is tied not only to wealth and prosperity, but also to tradition, landscape conservation and culture.
She also greeted authorities present, including Mayor Sala, President Fontana, ministers, members of parliament and other attendees. Meloni said the government rejects what she called a "surreal narrative" portraying farmers as enemies of nature.
In her account, farmers are the primary guardians of the land and responsible stewards of what they inherit. She said it is not possible to protect the environment without human stewardship and argued against what she described as ideological regulatory approaches disconnected from production realities.
She said the government has opposed those approaches and continues to do so firmly. Meloni framed the policy line as one that combines development and guardianship, innovation and tradition, production and ecology.
She said the aim is not to impose abstract models or unnecessary sacrifices, but to make informed choices based on common sense and reality. Meloni said the government has made agriculture a central priority since taking office three and a half years ago.
She said the objective has been to make the sector stronger, more sustainable and more innovative. She said this has been pursued through measures, responses and long-awaited sector reforms, developed in consultation with trade organisations and associations so legislation would have practical impact.
She said Italy's agri-food system has posted strong results under this approach. According to her remarks, Italy is increasingly an agri-food superpower and has become Europe's largest agricultural economy in terms of value added.
She said Italian exports reached a new all-time record of EUR 73 billion last year. She also said PDO and PGI products exceeded EUR 12 billion, with annual growth of 12.7%.
Meloni said Italian products carry weight in Italy's name, reputation, diplomacy and soft power. She linked the standing of Italian food to the work of farmers and to the expertise of chefs and restaurateurs.
She said Italian cooking has now been recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and described that recognition as an outcome that would not have been possible without coordinated action across the Sistema Italia. On public policy support, Meloni said the government has provided resources to agriculture that no other government in the history of the Italian Republic had allocated: over EUR 15 billion in three years.
She thanked Agriculture Minister Lollobrigida for his work and said the government's role has been to identify the most effective tools and mechanisms to release the sector's potential and allow businesses and workers to operate without undue interference or decisions imposed from above by people unfamiliar with the profession. Meloni said the government has also increased resources for supply chain competitiveness under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan by over EUR 5 billion.
She said those funds were directed to measures deemed most useful by the sector, including supply chain contracts, renewable energy generation without land consumption, and water efficiency. She also said the government has strengthened checks and controls to combat fraud, counterfeiting, Italian sounding products and unfair competition.
She said Parliament approved a law to safeguard the agri-food industry a few days ago, introducing new offences and the aggravating circumstance of agricultural piracy, with sanctions linked to company turnover. She said the purpose is to create a serious, real and effective deterrent.
Meloni also pointed to the "Generazione Terra" project, under which young people were enabled to buy land through a 30-year mortgage with up to 100% funding. She said the initiative was designed both as an economic choice and as a strategy against depopulation in inland areas and to protect local identities.
Meloni added that the government is supporting research on assisted evolution techniques and moving beyond the long-running debate on GMOs. She said these techniques can support more sustainable agriculture and stronger yields while using fewer pesticides and less water.
She said the effort follows the legacy of the Italian scientist Nazareno Strampelli. The text provided cuts off as she was continuing to discuss additional work in Italy.
