A disastrous year for Italian rice: prices halved, sales down and stocks at record highs
An analysis by the Pavia Chamber of Commerce and BMTI confirms the crisis in the sector, with some varieties seeing a slump of over 60 per cent, whilst imports of packaged produce continue to rise
Key points
The latest confirmation of the crisis in the national rice sector comes from the online commodities exchange. In a marketing year characterised by double-digit price falls, record-low sales and increased foreign competition, the rice-growing season is drawing to a close in the province of Pavia against a backdrop of growing uncertainty, in a market marked by a slowdown in paddy rice sales to the industry, by growing competitive pressure from Asian rice on European markets and by widespread and significant price falls.
Rising costs...
To complete the picture, in addition to these negative factors – as reported in the analysis of the Italian rice market carried out by the Cremona-Mantua-Pavia Chamber of Commerce with the support of BMTI and published on 6 July – the pressures caused by rising costs of key inputs, particularly agricultural diesel and fertilisers, although recent weeks have seen the start of a downward trend, partly as a result of the agreement signed between the United States and Iran.
... and a fall in prices
Since April, market difficulties have led to widespread falls in the prices of the main varieties of paddy rice. On the Mortara market, in particular, the analysis updated in mid-June shows a sharp fall compared with the same period in 2025 for Vialone Nano paddy rice, in the region of 60 per cent. Significant falls have also been recorded for varieties such as Baldo and Sant’Andrea, down by 48 per cent and 61 per cent respectively. The reductions have also affected the classic risotto varieties, with Arborio and Carnaroli having fallen by 31 per cent and 27 per cent respectively over the past twelve months.
For Lungo B, a variety facing competition from Asian rice, the annual decline exceeds 40 per cent. Double-digit reductions have also been seen in the prices of parboiled rice belonging to the Tondi group (Selenio -24 per cent), partly in light of expectations of a substantial increase in the area under cultivation.
Industrial placement rate slows
The current marketing year has been characterised by a slowdown in paddy rice shipments to the industry. As at 16 June, the placement rate relative to available stocks stood at 78.6 per cent, lower than that observed in the 2024–25 marketing year (84.7 per cent). At the same time, the analysis reports an increase in stock levels.
