Dec. 26 – Cuneo exports resisted the headwinds of the crisis in the January- September 2013 periof, with export value reaching €4.7 billion, confirming Cuneo as the second Piedmont exporter, generating 15.5% of the total value of regional sales abroad, after Turin, which generates 47.8%. Cuneo exports continue to report positive results in the agricultural and mechanics sectors, despite an overall 0.7% decrease compared to 2012 (slightly more significant that the national -0.3% level) and in contrast with the regional average, which grew by +2.9 %. The overall results are satisfying for Dardanello Ferruccio, president of the Cuneo Chamber of Commerce: “Our exports in specialization sectors, such as food and mechanics, have allowed our manufacturing base to counterbalance the weak domestic demand, due to the constant appreciation of our quality products abroad. We are aware that international openness represents today a winning strategy to revive our province’s economy and we are diverting in this direction the Chamber’s programming.” The slight decline in exports did not involve the food and drinks sectors, which maintain a 30.2 % share of Cuneo’s exports, with sales increases of about 5%. The mechanical sector, which generates 16.5% of its sales abroad, recorded the highest increase (+7.0 %); wood products and the paper industry alongside agriculture, and forestry and fishery products generated respectively 4.9% and 4.4% of total Cuneo exports, also growing by +3.1% and +3.9 % respectively. The decline was more marked for the sale abroad of vehicles (-14.8 %) and for other manufacturing products (-10.1%). The EU-28 market attracted 69.3% of provincial exports. An overall decline in sales abroad is registered, but this is due to market dynamics: exports to the EU-28 decreased by 2.8% compared to the same period of 2012, while exports to extra- EU countries increased by 4.5%.
