Alessandro Liberatori
Italian Trade Commissioner, Embassy of Italy, New Delhi Coordinator for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Italy and India have a lot to explore
Alessandro Liberatori is the Trade Commissioner and Director of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), New Delhi and the Coordinator of ITA offices for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He joined the Italian Trade Agency in Rome in 2000, and was designated as the Trade Commissioner to Croatia from the year 2006 to 2011 and as the Head of the Business Assistance division as well as the Capital Goods, Energy and Environment department at the ITA headquarters in Rome. Before taking up his current position as the Director of Italian Trade Commission, Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, he served as the Trade Commissioner to Jakarta, Indonesia from 2015-2019. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Liberatori gives an overview of the trade, including textile trade, between Italy and India, and how it is likely to improve by 2030.
What is the volume of Italy-India bilateral trade?
In 2021, Italy-India bilateral trade reached its highest ever, totalling €10.48 billion. For the year 2022 as well, Indo-Italian trade continued its upward trajectory. During the period of January-October 2022, total trade between Italy and India stood at €12.53 billion, registering a growth of 44.1 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.
Italian exports for the same period amounted to €3.87 billion (up by 26.4 per cent compared to 2021) and imports from India reached €8.65 billion (an increase by 54.1 per cent as compared to the same period of previous year). The trade balance therefore recorded a deficit of €4.77 billion (-87 per cent).
Italy is both a major importer and exporter of textiles and apparel. Where does bilateral trade stand in this sector?
Both Italy and India traditionally have been major players in the textiles and apparel sector. For the period of January-October 2022, Italy exported textiles and apparel (including accessories and leather) worth €53.7 billion to the world, whereas it imported textiles and apparel worth €34.7 billion.
However, Indo-Italian trade in the sector still remains modest and unexplored with just €126 million of Italian exports to India and €1.05 billion of imports from India in the sector.
I believe both Italy and India still have a lot to explore and skim through in this sector as both have age old craftsmanship, traditions and customs which if amalgamated could prove to be boon for the sector, globally.
Which are the main products traded between the two countries in the textile-apparel-fashion category?
I have always said that ‘fashion’ is a feeling, not just a sector, which makes it hard to evaluate in terms of numbers between the two countries.
Italian fashion has always been well known for its eloquence and attention to details. Fashion has always been at the forefront when we talk about ‘Made in Italy’, a brand expressing excellence of creativity, style, quality, craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability. Italian luxury goods are renowned for the quality of the textiles, the elegance and refinement of their construction.
The major commodities imported from Italy are scarves, mantillas, men’s suits, jackets, blazers, trousers, followed by knitted shirts, sweaters, T-shirts and leather articles. On the other hand, the major textile and apparel articles exported to Italy from India are knitted nightwear, bathrobes, babies’ knitted apparel, track suits, followed by leather articles.
How can the Italian Trade Commission, New Delhi help Indian businesses seeking to retail the Italian fashion brands in India?
Italian Trade Agency is the Governmental agency, under the supervision of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, that supports and facilitates the business development of Italian companies abroad. By the virtue of our activities, we are bound to facilitate the smooth trade between Italy and India. The Italian Trade Agency can help Indian businesses identify the right Italian companies in the sector by connecting them with the competent Italian associations and help getting in touch with the Italian counterparts if the Indian companies have already identified their Italian partner.
As a part of our regular activities, we also send business delegations at the most renowned fairs in Italy, where Indian businesses could meet their prospective Italian partners. In fact, the world’s largest international textile and garment technology exhibition, ITMA, is going to be held at Fiera Milano Rho in Milan from June 8-14, 2023.
What is your role as the Coordinator of Trade and Investment offices for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka?
As the Coordinating Office of the Italian Trade Agency offices for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, we support Italian companies in getting their best foot forward in these markets.
Through the gamut of services, we provide them market intelligence about various emerging sectors in these countries. We advise and assist the Italian companies to plan their penetration strategy. We provide them publications and other informational support which they may need to be market ready. We can also help them in identification of potential partners (distributors, importers, buyers) for their respective sectors.
We also regularly participate in the prominent local exhibitions with the collective participation of the Italian companies under the Italian pavilion. Moreover, we also organise the business delegations from these countries at the Italian exhibitions to update the business people of the available Italian technologies in their respective sectors.
Where do you see the Italy-India trade relations going by 2030?
As of October 2022, the total trade between Italy and India stood at €12.53 billion which by far is the highest ever already. We expect it to surpass €15 billion by the end of 2022 and further increase exponentially by the year 2030. Observing the current trend, we expect Italy to be the top trading partner of India in the European Union (EU) region from our current 4th position. We also aim to be amongst the topmost EU suppliers to India for its technological and machinery needs to make government programmes like ‘Make in India’ a global success.
Published on: 08/02/2023
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
