Financial Sustainability in Agri-Food Companies: The Case of Members of the PDO Parma Ham Consortium

Abstract

Agri-food companies play an economic, social, and environmental role. In Italy, the typical products protected by the European Union with the PDO and PGI marks are spread throughout the national territory, even in disadvantaged ones, and generate turnover, employment, and positive effects in related industries. These companies are often of medium or small size (SMEs) and are financially constrained. The research applies the assessment of financial sustainability to the balance sheet statement (BSS), financial ratios (FRs), interest coverage ratios (ICRs), duration of the cash conversion cycle (CCC), and net working capital (NWC) data. It shows that companies in the sector have high capital intensity in both the fixed asset (FA) and NWC cycles. Profitability is largely eroded by the cost of debt (COD). Financial sustainability is calculated through the following: (1) the duration of the cash conversion cycle (CCC), broken down into the cycle lengths of inventory, receivables, and payables; (2) the calculation of the income and financial margins generated by the management and their correlation; (3) the calculation of financial ratios (FRs) and the verification of financial leverage (ROA > ROD); (4) the calculation of income and financial interest coverage ratios (ICRs) and tests on the significant differences between them. The application of ICRs with the financial methodology applied in the research makes it possible to (1) improve the assessment of financial sustainability and reduce the related risk and (2) reduce the information asymmetry between the company and the bank, facilitating access to credit. The duration of the CCC is negatively correlated to profitability (ROE), while size and economic performance are positively correlated. The ICRs (interest coverage ratio) calculated with the financial approach are statistically different from the ones calculated with the economic one. The application of the result is relevant to industry operators and for future research. The research is replicable; the results can be tested on other sectors of the agri-food sector and disseminated to operators.