In 2020, the production of Gorgonzola PDO was 5,100,423 wheels, an increase of 1.49% (equal to 74,638 wheels) compared to 2019 and 5.18% (equal to 251,120 wheels) compared to 2018. The first month of last year saw the highest monthly production (492,269 wheels) in five years.
At regional level, more than two thirds of production (3,616,765 wheels) were concentrated in Piedmont, the rest in the Lombardy provinces. 11.3% of the total was allocated to the production of Spicy Gorgonzola (576,877 wheels).
In 2020, the number of wheels for foreign countries was 1,603,000, yet again an increase (+2.85%) compared to the same period last year (updated to 31 October 2020).
‘In a year marked by the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic, it was not a foregone conclusion that production and exports would remain positive. Although with smaller increases, the production of Gorgonzola PDO has remained well above the cap of 5 million wheels, reached for the first time in 2019, confirming the constant upward trend of the last 12 years.’ comments the President of the Gorgonzola Consortium, Antonio Auricchio – “As President of the Consortium, I believe that praise should be given to all the 39 member companies and the approximately 1,800 farms that have ensured the production of an Italian excellence such as Gorgonzola despite operating in difficult conditions”.
The European Union confirms itself as the main market for Gorgonzola PDO outside the national borders, having absorbed more than 85% of the export quota, with Germany as the first importing country (486,446 wheels as of Oct 31, 2020) followed by France (341,454 wheels), Spain (95,948) and the Netherlands (84,740). Exports to the United Kingdom (53,894 wheels) recorded an unprecedented drop of 21.26%, largely due to the policies adopted by the country on the occasion of Brexit. The first non-EU country is confirmed as Japan, followed by Australia and the United States.
