New York – Prosciutto di Parma closes 2016 with a production of 8,700,000 hams, up 2.8% compared to 2015. Italy remains the biggest market with approximately 68% of the production absorbed while exports reach 2.757 million hams recording a 1.2% increase on an estimated turnover of 280 million Euros. Both the EU market (61% of exports) and third markets contributed in equal to the increase in 2016: 16,000 more pieces in each area. Looking at the detail of individual countries, the United States continue to grow (+ 7%), remaining the first foreign sales market with 623,000 hams exported, ahead of France (476,000, + 4.7%) and Germany (468,000, +3 %). A bit of suffering on the markets of Belgium, Canada, Japan and Russia, the latter due to a closing of imports of ham. Among the emerging markets, especially China and Brazil, where Prosciutto di Parma was launched in style by some retail chains. (9colonne)