Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia, has come to the rescue of ailing producers of Parmigiano Reggiano, promising to buy 100,000 of the cheeses, as well as 100,000 of its less costly competitor, Grana Padano.

Handmade by 430 craft producers around the city of Parma, Italian consumption of Parmigiano Reggiano has fallen dramatically as a result of soaring costs, leaving almost a third of producers facing bankruptcy.
In effect, the government will fork out for 3% of Parmesan production at an estimated cost of