A rice crisis? Producers are banking on an aromatic variety, the ‘Italian Basmati’

When faced with a difficult situation, if not an outright crisis, innovation can be a good way forward. That must have been the thinking at Confagricoltura, which on Saturday 12 September at Risò, the international rice fair in Vercelli, will present its aromatic rice project.

Italian aromatic rice is presented as an alternative to Basmati, which comes almost exclusively from Asia: India and Pakistan.

The most common variety of Italian aromatic rice is Apollo, a long-grain, translucent rice very similar to Basmati , which was developed by crossing an Asian rice variety with an Italian one. It is used in cooking in the same way as Basmati: for pilaf or steamed dishes, in salads, or as a side dish with meat or fish.

The Italian rice sector is, in fact, going through a period of great difficulty, caught as it is between the challenges of climate change and drought (which has a particularly severe impact on a crop such as rice, which germinates and grows in water) and the challenges posed by international markets and competition from producers in South-East Asia.
This latter challenge has, in recent years, seen Italian rice threatened by imports at preferential tariffs from countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar. These products are imported under preferential terms despite often being produced in complete disregard of labour standards – and child labour regulations in particular – and therefore already enjoy a competitive advantage over European producers.

At Confagricoltura, they have decided to tackle these complex challenges through innovation. Indeed, a project was presented in Risò that focuses on aromatic rice and the potential to develop a dedicated national supply chain capable of capturing a market segment currently occupied by imported products.