Crown Jewels: The Crops Italy Leads the EU In
Wondering what does Italy grow? The sharpest answer sits in the crops where Italy outproduces every other EU member. In 2024 Italy was the Union’s number-one grower of six crops at once: lucerne, wine grapes, tomatoes, durum wheat, rice and kiwis.
The widest crown is lucerne, a forage legume cut for livestock feed: 25.14 million tonnes (25 142.7 thousand tonnes) in 2024, equal to 65.8% of the EU total. Spain, the runner-up, produced 4 777.8 thousand tonnes. Italy is also the EU’s cereal champion for durum wheat — 3.63 million tonnes (3 634 thousand tonnes), 46.2% of the EU harvest and more than triple France’s 1 230.2 thousand tonnes — and for rice, where 1.45 million tonnes (1 448.8 thousand tonnes) equals 54.9% of the EU crop.
Among fruit and vegetables, Italy leads for wine grapes (6.61 million tonnes, 6 610.2 thousand tonnes; 32.3% of the EU total, ahead of Spain’s 5 021.9 thousand tonnes) and for tomatoes (6.02 million tonnes, 6 022.8 thousand tonnes; 35.6%). Kiwis complete the set: 463.9 thousand tonnes, fully 50.5% of EU output, with Greece second at 342.3 thousand tonnes.
All values in 1 000 t. b = break in series, d = definition change, e = estimated, p = provisional.
| Crop | 2024 production (1 000 t) | Share of EU | Nearest rival |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucerne | 25142.7 | 65.8% | Spain 4777.8 |
| Grapes for wines | 6610.2 | 32.3% | Spain 5021.9 |
| Tomatoes | 6022.8 | 35.6% | Spain 4574.3 |
| Durum wheat | 3634 | 46.2% | France 1230.2 |
| Rice | 1448.8 | 54.9% | Spain 605.8 |
| Kiwis | 463.9 | 50.5% | Greece 342.3 |
The Full Plate: Italy’s Top 10 Crops by Volume
Italy’s two largest harvests never reach the dinner table: lucerne (25.14 million tonnes) and green maize (22.67 million tonnes, 22 667.1 thousand tonnes) are forage crops grown for livestock feed. Green maize ranks fourth in the EU, behind Germany, France and Poland.
The first food crop in the ranking is wine grapes, at 6.61 million tonnes (6 610.2 thousand tonnes), followed by tomatoes (6.02 million tonnes, 6 022.8 thousand tonnes). Grain maize — grain maize and corn-cob-mix in Eurostat’s nomenclature — contributes 4.94 million tonnes (4 940.5 thousand tonnes) and ranks sixth in the EU, while durum wheat (3.63 million tonnes, 3 634 thousand tonnes) is the EU’s largest, at 46.2% of the total.
Common wheat and spelt (2.62 million tonnes, 2 617.8 thousand tonnes) is a small piece of a much larger European picture — 2.3% of EU output, twelfth among member states. Fruit and citrus complete the top ten: apples (2.40 million tonnes, 2 398.5 thousand tonnes, second behind Poland), olives for oil (2.21 million tonnes, 2 210.3 thousand tonnes, second behind Spain) and oranges (1.81 million tonnes, 1 807.3 thousand tonnes, again second, with 30.3% of EU output).
All values in 1 000 t. b = break in series, d = definition change, e = estimated, p = provisional.
| Crop | 2024 production (1 000 t) | Share of EU | EU rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucerne | 25142.7 | 65.8% | 1 |
| Green maize | 22667.1 | 9.2% | 4 |
| Grapes for wines | 6610.2 | 32.3% | 1 |
| Tomatoes | 6022.8 | 35.6% | 1 |
| Grain maize and corn-cob-mix | 4940.5 | 8.4% | 6 |
| Durum wheat | 3634 | 46.2% | 1 |
| Common wheat and spelt | 2617.8 | 2.3% | 12 |
| Apples | 2398.5 | 20.8% | 2 |
| Olives for oil | 2210.3 | 17.4% | 2 |
| Oranges | 1807.3 | 30.3% | 2 |
Made-in-Italy Staples and Their EU Shares
The share of the EU market Italy controls is what makes its fields distinctive. In tomatoes — the base for passata and canned conserva — Italian fields produced 6.02 million tonnes (6 022.8 thousand tonnes), or 35.6% of the EU total of 16 902.2 thousand tonnes. Spain, the runner-up, harvested 4 574.3 thousand tonnes and Portugal 1 762.5 thousand tonnes. Over the decade both leading producers drifted down at similar rates: -0.69% a year for Italy and -0.61% for Spain.
Italy’s lead in wine grapes is being eroded slowly from two sides. Spain produced 5 021.9 thousand tonnes in 2024 and France 4 699.9 thousand tonnes, against Italy’s 6 610.2 thousand tonnes — but both rivals are shrinking faster than Italy: Spain at a -1.06% annual rate and France at -3.05%. For kiwis, Greece is closing the gap from a small base: 342.3 thousand tonnes in 2024 versus 199.5 thousand tonnes in 2015, a 6.18% annual growth rate (values flagged as estimated), while Italy’s crop fell from 578.9 to 463.9 thousand tonnes (-2.43% a year).
In olives for oil the roles reverse: Spain (7 760.7 thousand tonnes) produces more than three times Italy’s 2 210.3 thousand tonnes, with Greece third at 1 348.9 thousand tonnes. Italy’s 17.4% EU share still leaves it a clear second.
Italy: 2024 production in 1 000 t with EU share in brackets. Runner-up and Third are the EU producers closest to Italy (for olives for oil, the runner-up, Spain, leads Italy). b = break in series, d = definition change, e = estimated, p = provisional.
| Crop | Italy | Runner-up | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | 6022.8 (35.6%) | Spain 4574.3 | Portugal 1762.5 |
| Grapes for wines | 6610.2 (32.3%) | Spain 5021.9 | France 4699.9 |
| Kiwis | 463.9 (50.5%) | Greece 342.3 | France 50.8 |
| Olives for oil | 2210.3 (17.4%) | Spain 7760.7 | Greece 1348.9 |
Stability and Shock Years: Which Harvests Swing
A lower coefficient of variation (CV) means a steadier harvest. Under the standard grading — CV below 10% is very stable, 10–20% moderately stable and above 20% volatile — four of Italy’s key crops qualify as very stable. Tomatoes posted the calmest series (CV 4.4%, maximum drawdown of -7.7%), followed by common wheat and spelt (CV 5.8%), apples (CV 7.2%) and wine grapes (CV 7.3%). Stability has not meant growth: all four shrank between 2015 and 2024, by 6.0% for tomatoes, 14.4% for common wheat, 3.6% for apples and 3.3% for wine grapes.
The moderately stable group mixes expansion with contraction. Lucerne, the largest crop by volume, is the clear grower: output rose 20.4% over the decade despite a CV of 13.9%. The other three moderate crops all declined — kiwis by 19.9% (CV 12.0%, with the group’s deepest drawdown of -25.2%), durum wheat by 19.4% (CV 10.4%) and grain maize by 25.3% (CV 12.0%), the steepest net fall in this profile, from 6 612.4 to 4 940.5 thousand tonnes.
CV < 10% = Very stable; CV 10–20% = Moderately stable; CV > 20% = Volatile. Mean = average annual production, 2015–2024.
| Crop | Mean (1 000 t) | CV% | Max drawdown% | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | 6150.7 | 4.4% | -7.7% | Very stable |
| Grapes for wines | 6873.2 | 7.3% | -21.5% | Very stable |
| Apples | 2322.3 | 7.2% | -22.1% | Very stable |
| Common wheat and spelt | 2894.2 | 5.8% | -15.7% | Very stable |
| Lucerne | 26523.8 | 13.9% | -15.6% | Moderately stable |
| Kiwis | 507.6 | 12.0% | -25.2% | Moderately stable |
| Durum wheat | 4197.4 | 10.4% | -16.6% | Moderately stable |
| Grain maize and corn-cob-mix | 5988.0 | 12.0% | -22.7% | Moderately stable |
From the Data to the Dinner Table
The crops in this profile are the raw materials of the Italian kitchen and of European food more broadly: durum wheat for pasta, tomatoes for passata and conserva, rice for risotto, wine grapes for wine, olives for oil, apples and kiwis for the fruit bowl. That output rests on a distinctive farmland base — durum wheat alone covered 1 177.4 thousand hectares in 2024, more than half (53.6%) of the EU’s durum wheat area, and tomatoes 102.8 thousand hectares, 44.5% of the EU total. The geography follows the crops: the irrigated plains of the north, including the Po Valley, grow the forage, grain maize, rice and much of the wine, while the peninsula’s south and islands — the Mezzogiorno — supply durum wheat, olives, oranges and wine grapes.
Land-use change over the decade mirrors the production trends above. Durum wheat area fell 11.4% (from 1 328.9 to 1 177.4 thousand hectares) alongside a 19.4% drop in output; grain maize area contracted 24.5% (from 656 to 495.4 thousand hectares), the largest retreat in the table. Elsewhere land and output diverged: grapes for wines gained area (+6.2%, to 664.6 thousand hectares, 22.9% of the EU vineyard base) even as wine grape output eased, while lucerne produced 20.4% more from 2.4% less land (675.2 versus 691.7 thousand hectares). Common wheat area fell 6.0% to 520.3 thousand hectares; green maize and apples expanded (+6.9% and +2.3%), and tomato area slipped 4.1%.
All values in 1 000 ha. – = not available. b = break in series, d = definition change, e = estimated, p = provisional.
| Crop | 2024 area (1 000 ha) | Change since 2015 | Share of EU area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucerne | 675.2 | -2.4% | – |
| Green maize | 360 | +6.9% | 6.1% |
| Grapes for wines | 664.6 | +6.2% | 22.9% |
| Tomatoes | 102.8 | -4.1% | 44.5% |
| Grain maize and corn-cob-mix | 495.4 | -24.5% | 5.7% |
| Durum wheat | 1177.4 | -11.4% | 53.6% |
| Common wheat and spelt | 520.3 | -6.0% | 2.6% |
| Apples | 53.4 | +2.3% | 11.6% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country grows the most kiwis in the EU?
Italy. In 2024 Italian growers produced 463.9 thousand tonnes of kiwis — 50.5% of the EU total — ahead of Greece (342.3 thousand tonnes), the runner-up. Greece is closing the gap from a small base (a 6.18% annual growth rate), while Italy’s output has contracted at a -2.43% rate over the decade.
What share of EU tomatoes comes from Italy?
35.6%. Italy’s 6 022.8 thousand tonnes in 2024 represented 35.6% of the EU total of 16 902.2 thousand tonnes, followed by Spain (4 574.3 thousand tonnes).
Is Italian wine grape production growing?
Essentially no: the series is very stable but has drifted slightly down. Wine grape harvests carried a coefficient of variation of just 7.3% between 2015 and 2024, while production edged down 3.3% net, from 6 836 to 6 610.2 thousand tonnes.
Source data extracted from Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
This article was generated using AI. The content is based on Eurostat data and is provided as a starting point — please verify all data with the original source.
