Strategies for Market Food Industry in Sicily: some Tests Through Interviews

It is known from the literature that the competitiveness of a region depends on the innovative capac-ity of existing enterprises. Empirical studies find that the agri-food enterprises in Italy and particu-larly in the South, they prefer, mainly conquer new markets by producing goods 'quality' (innovative marketing strategy). As an alternative hypothesis to remain on the market shrinking labor costs and/or using only state aid (defensive marketing strategy). Taking into account this interpretative framework, this research seeks to identify, through interviews, the strategy followed by the entre-preneurs in the agro-food sector in Sicily. The interviewed entrepreneurs identified in the lack of infrastructure, lack of human capital in the high cost of credit and the main obstacles to develop and to be competitive.