Ettore Prandini, 51, from Lombardy, has been confirmed national president of Coldiretti. To elect him unanimously was the Assembly of delegates from all regions, representing more than 1.5 million members, gathered at Palazzo Rospigliosi in Rome, headquarters of the main organization of agricultural entrepreneurs at national and European level.

Also appointed is the new Confederal Council composed of three vice-presidents: Nicola Bertinelli, David Granieri and Gennarino Masiello as well as Franco Aceto, Gianluca Barbacovi, Cristina Brizzolari, Dominga Cotarella and Francesco Ferreri.

Prandini, graduated in law, runs a dairy farm and runs a wine company with production of Lugana. He has led Coldiretti Brescia and Coldiretti Lombardia but also holds the positions of National President of Uecoop, the Fondazione Campagna Amica and the Observatory on Criminality in Agriculture and the Agri-Food System.

The goal set by the reconfirmed president for the next five years is to "to support the competitiveness of agricultural and fisheries businesses to guarantee the Country’s food sovereignty and reduce dependence on foreign markets, promoting 100% made in Italy production chains with innovation and economic and environmental sustainability".

"The commitment -adds Prandini- is to reach 100 billion Euros in value of agri-food exports also with the push of the candidacy of Italian cuisine as an intangible heritage of UNESCO and the fight against false Made in Italy on world tables. It is necessary to invest on the logistics in infrastructural terms on the transports via earth, sea and aerial creating interconnections between the several hub that allow to shorten times of delivery and to cut useless costs". 

"It should be supported the made in Italy -Prandini continues- offering the Ismea the opportunity to play the role of deposits and loans to protect the national food chain from foreign shopping. But it is also important to work on internationalization to support companies that want to conquer new markets and strengthen those consolidated with the involvement of embassies and enhancing the strategic role of the ICE with the support of embassies".

"We need to intervene on emergencies with adequate support -underlines the president of Coldiretti- but we also need structural choices to cope with the increasingly devastating effects of climate change through action in favour of ecological transition with investments ranging from urban green to agroenergies but also a plan invaded to ensure water to citizens and business and agricultural development 4.0 with tools such as drones, robots and satellites that today represent a turnover of more than 2 billion euros, with an increase of 2,300% in just five years. On the innovation front, we also need to work on the new GMO green genetics to reduce business costs and increase income. In this perspective we will launch in 2024 the first experimental fields in Italy on Tea, assisted evolution techniques".

"Let’s not forget, however, -says Prandini- that due to the cementification and abandonment Italy has lost almost a third, or 30% of agricultural land in the last half century with the usable agricultural area in Italy that has been reduced to just 12,8 million hectares and effects on the hydrogeological stability of the territory and on the production deficit of the country and agri-food dependence from abroad. It is therefore necessary to accelerate the adoption of the law on land consumption that has been lying for years in Parliament and that could equip Italy with a cutting-edge tool for the protection of its territory".

"In the next 5 years -concludes the president- will also grow our action in Europe where we decide the fate of our agriculture and where Italy, which is a world leader in quality and food security, has a duty to play a pioneering role in agri-food policies, in the interests of businesses and citizens. But we will remain firmly anchored to the territories where the regions are privileged interlocutors of Community policies".

Prandini is at the helm of a growing organization: with the new role of entrepreneurial union of supply chain and the entry as associated companies of big in the agri-food sector and the promotion of a capillary system of services with Consorzi Agrari d'Italia (CAI) and Bonifiche Ferraresi (BF), Coldiretti has also promoted Filiera Italia, which for the first time sees agriculture and the Italian food industry of excellence together to defend, support and enhance the made in Italy.