(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani has defended pasta exports to the United States, denying dumping is involved, claiming Italian industry’s behaviour is ethical, and vowing that Italy will keep backing its quality products.
“Quality Italian pasta is not dumping,” Tajani wrote on X at the weekend after the administration of US president Donald Trump announced a 92% anti-dumping duty on major Italian past producers La Molisano and Garofalo, with dozens of other companies facing similar tariffs.
The duty, expected to enter into force in January, comes on top of Trump’s 15% tariffs on almost all European Union imports.
“We have protested with the Embassy in Washington and together with Italian pasta makers against the choices of the Department of Commerce that penalise Italian products,” Tajani’s post continued.
A tariff task force at Italy’s foreign ministry “is already working to coordinate negotiations with American authorities,” the post went on.
“I will continue to fight against ‘Italian sounding’ to block fake Italian products. We defend Made in Italy: Italian industry acts correctly, transparently, and fairly,” the post underlined.
Italian farming body Coldiretti said on Saturday the 107% total tariff would deal a “fatal blow” to Italy’s annual pasta exports to the US worth 670 million euros and was key to Trump ‘s plan to move production to the US.
Italy’s has the EU’s backing to pressure Washington to reconsider the tariff, according to a foreign ministry statement issued after Coldiretti’s call for action.
“The foreign ministry has formally intervened in the proceedings, as an ‘Interested Party’, through its embassy in Washington, to help the companies assert their rights,” said the statement.
Dumping refers to the practice of selling goods abroad at below-market value.
