Rome, 10 Jan. (AKI) - Organised crime is Italy's biggest business, generating far greater than sales than Eni, the country's oil behemoth, according to a new report.

The Italian mafia in 2010 made the lion's share of its 140 billion euros in sales by exploiting small-to-medium-sized businesses through usury, extortion and even robbery, according to a report by Confesercenti, a business association representing 270,000 small-to-medium Italian businesses.

By comparison, Rome-based Eni, one of Europe's top multinational oil exploration companies, in 2010 registered around 99 billion euros in sales.

"The state is working on it, but there needs to be a change with the institutions," said Confesercenti president Marco Venturi. "No bidding, hiring or investments in the shadow of crime."

The report says the economic crisis has been a fruitful time for organised criminals to exploit businesses who are looking for funds at a time when bank loans have dried up. Out of desperation they turn to mobsters who provide loans at crippling interest rates.

Strapped for cash and unable to continue making interest payments to criminals, prompted 1,800 businesses in 2010 to shut down, "erasing tens-of-thousands of jobs," according to the report.

Merchants are the most exposed to loan sharking with "around 200,000 victims suffering 1,300 crimes a day. Practically 50 per hour and almost one per minute," according to the report.

"Our goal is to retake territory occupied by the mafia," said Confesercenti's Venturi.