DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a699ab/italy_agribusiness) has announced the addition of the "Italy Agribusiness Report Q3 2011" report to their offering.
BMI continue to forecast impressive gains for some of Italy's key agricultural industries, with production of poultry, wheat and corn expected to be outperformers. As with much of Europe, milk production is performing poorly, though EC measures aimed at boosting farmers' bargaining power should improve things. The FTA with Mercosur continues to hang over livestock production, however, though the completion of negotiations looks unlikely until the end of the year.
Industry Developments
Italy is set to become a world leader in cellulosic ethanol production after M&G in April 2011 began construction of the world's first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant at Crescentino, Italy. The plant will use wheat straw and arundo donax (giant cane) sourced locally as feedstock. It will have a capacity of 13mn gallons per year, with production costs of around US$2.50 per gallon, which is comparable to cornbased ethanol and is competitive with petrol prices. It is set for completion in 2012.
French dairy firm Lactalis has launched a full takeover bid for Italy-based Parmalat, after making a EUR3.4bn offer for the 71% stake in the firm that it does not already own. The bid of EUR2.60 per share represents a 12.5% premium on Parmalat's closing price on April 21 and a valuation for the entire company of around EUR4.8bn.
Talks on an EU free-trade agreement (FTA) with Canada remain stalled over issues related to Canada's supply management systems for the poultry and dairy industries, which effectively operate as a monopoly. The EU wants better access for its dairy products to the Canadian market. In May 2011, a senior Canadian trade negotiator admitted that the talks might not conclude until 2012, though the target was still Q411.
Following a fifth round of negotiations on an EU-Mercosur FTA in Asuncin from May 2-6, the two parties released a statement saying they 'reaffirmed their commitment to move negotiations forward to reach a comprehensive, balanced and ambitious Association Agreement'. On April 14, at a meeting in Luxembourg, Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos was forced to reassure EU agriculture ministers about the consequences of the FTA for EU agricultural industries. Ireland highlighted the risk, with Italy among a group of countries who supported the query.
Key Topics Covered:
- Executive Summary
- SWOT Analysis
- Industry Forecast Scenario
- Italy Rice Outlook
- Italy Livestock Outlook
- Italy Grains Outlook
- Italy Dairy Outlook
- Commodity Price Analysis
- Downstream Supply Chain Analysis
- BMI Forecast Modelling
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a699ab/italy_agribusiness