Italian Tomato Industry Concerns: EU Urged to Protect Farmers from Cheap Chinese Imports

Francesco Mutti, CEO of Italian tomato sauce maker Mutti, is calling on Brussels to ban or impose high tariffs on cheap Chinese tomato paste imports. He argues that the competition poses an "unfair" threat to Italy's staple red fruit and its farmers. The EU has not followed the US in banning tomato paste imports from China's Xinjiang region due to forced labor concerns.

Context: Italian tomatoes are a significant industry, with revenues of €665mn last year. However, cheap Chinese imports have raised concerns about environmental dumping and unfair competition.

Perspectives:

* Mutti argues that EU protection is needed to safeguard Italian farmers and restore the "dignity" of Italy's tomato production.
* Critics argue that forced labor claims in Xinjiang are "a lie" used by some countries to undermine China and suppress its industries.

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/05962eba-b833-4e97-97de-dcf4b1ffa847