It's a record for Italian grape exports, which closed the 2025 season approaching one billion euros, making grapes Italy's second most valuable fruit product after apples. Sixty percent of sales come from Puglia, the leading region. These are the figures presented by Ismea on the occasion of the fourth edition of 'Regina di Puglia', promoted by the Municipality of Noicattaro in the Bari area and supported by the network "Le Terre dell'Uva", which also includes the municipalities of Rutigliano, Mola di Bari, Casamassima, Castellaneta, Adelfia and Polignano a Mare.
The aim of the recently concluded event, which saw the participation of buyers from eight European countries and the United Arab Emirates, and marked the debut of Dutch and Swedish importers alongside the main large-scale retail chains, is to promote and raise awareness of production.
The foreign sales result of 973 million euros, Ismea notes, is due to the production continuity of the two main hubs: Sicily between May and June with the first harvests covering 39% of the market, and Puglia with 55%, also leading in terms of surface area, guaranteeing the product through to the beginning of winter, concentrated in the provinces of Bari, Taranto and BAT.
Driving this growth are seedless varieties, increasingly widespread in Puglia and sought after by consumers. According to Ismea analyst Mario Schiano Lo Moriello, based on Ismea Niq data, "this preference is particularly evident among Italian families with children under 16 years of age, Generation Alpha, and in the northern regions." There are currently no exact figures for this production, but according to an estimate by a Puglia-based association, seedless grapes in Puglia have surpassed traditional varieties both in terms of surface area cultivated and quantity produced. Also very promising is the PGI 'Uva di Puglia', one of three grapes with a geographical indication at national level, a label with still modest figures that, according to the analyst, deserves to enter the top 10 fruit and vegetable products with a designation of origin.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
