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Five centuries of Italian rice
Rome - (Ign) - For centuries it was considered a rare essence, a medicine, even a miraculous panacea. And in fact it was easier to find seeds of Oryza Sativa, which is its botanical name, at the apothecary or pharmacist, than on the stalls of food markets. Then, in 1468, someone in the Po Valley had the idea of planting some of the seeds. And thus, almost by chance, Italy became the leading producer of rice in Europe, a position which it still holds today, offering the European market over half of its annual production. The extent of rice cultivation in Italy is in fact of significant importance. Certainly, there is no comparison with the amounts produced in Asia, where over 80% of all the world's rice is produced, and where above all, the great majority of the harvests are destined for consumption by the farmers families themselves. In fact, rice does not occupy a significant place in world food trade, dominated by wheat, soya and milk. However, with its 1.3 million tonnes a year of finished product, Italy is not only Europe's leading producer, but one of the major non-Asian producers, after Brazil and the United States.
The areas dedicated to rice farming are basically concentrated in the north of the country, between Piedmont and Lombardy, where the channelling of natural watercourses to periodically flood the rice-fields is particularly simple. The north of Italy is in fact situated at the geographical limits of the climatic area suitable for cultivation of the rice plant, which requires hot summers and enormous quantities of water. The north of Italy offered environmental conditions which, although not ideal, were nevertheless suitable, while other regions of the Mediterranean could not ensure the large quantities of water necessary. Despite this, the main boost to Italian rice production came relatively late, after the Second World War. For centuries, in effect, Italian rice production was limited to a single species, the "nostrale", above all suitable for soups. Then, in 1839, a Dominican friar illegally imported handfuls of other rice species from the Philippines, and set up a small test field. This was a first limited attempt to select the best qualities, those most resistant to disease and most productive. The irrigation systems were developed until they covered a surface area of over 200,000 ha, and in the early 20th century the Experimental Rice Farming Centre was set up. This became the Rice Centre of Mortara, one of the world's leading research institutes on rice, run by the National Rice Authority (www.enterisi.it).
Over recent decades, a great change has affected the system of Italian companies operating in the sector: the concentration of the activity around some large cooperatives of producers has been accentuated and there have been important investments aimed at improving product quality, developing organic farming methods and optimising irrigation systems. Today, with an annual turnover of over €1 billion, Italy has also become an important exporter of rice. With production of around 1.3 million tonnes, the Italian market in fact consumes little more than 450,000 tonnes, while the rest is exported, above all to the countries of the European Union, which alone accounts for over 300,000 tonnes of Italian rice every year. Italian rice-fields now cover over 215,000 hectares, distributed, in order of size, in the provinces of Vercelli, Pavia, Novara, Milan, Alessandria, Ferrara, Oristano, Mantova and Verona, and in some limited areas of central and southern Italy. Piedmont is in first place with 120,000 hectares and 5000 producers.
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