The rerouting of maritime transport routes towards the East due to navigation issues in the Red Sea and Suez Canal is posing a threat to the delivery of over 200 million kilos of fruit and vegetables shipped to Asia last year, as per Coldiretti. This shift has resulted in a significant surge in transport costs, which have almost quadrupled on the Mediterranean-China route since the beginning of the year. This is impacting the competitiveness of companies exporting Made in Italy fruit and vegetables to the Middle East, India, and South East Asia, with transport costs rising by nearly 10 cents per kilogram.