Italian rice paddies in difficulty, the price of rice collapses with the invasion of foreign products

The collapse in rice prices, caused by the boom in imports of foreign rice (+20%), is bringing Italian agricultural companies to their knees, already crushed by the increase in production costs and the effects of drought.

This is the alarm launched by Coldiretti at the supply chain roundtable convened at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (Masaf), with the request for an extraordinary plan to safeguard a symbolic production of Made in Italy and a sector that represents over 50% of the entire European rice cultivation.

The intervention requested by Coldiretti

Coldiretti is asking for a 12 million euro tender to allocate 100% Italian rice to families in difficulty, at the same time strengthening the income of producers, stricter controls to certify the origin and prevent fraud on citizens, also with innovative tools such as magnetic resonance imaging, genomic mapping and isotopic mapping, a fund dedicated to supply chain contracts within the Food Sovereignty Fund. But the package must also include regional resources to support businesses; stop uncontrolled imports with the application of the principle of reciprocity in trade agreements with non-EU countries; a national reservoir plan to address water emergencies; investments in research and Assisted Evolution Techniques (Tea) and the strengthening of support for rice in the future CAP, rewarding companies that invest in quality, innovation and sustainability.

The 2025-2026 commercial campaign not yet concluded has seen over 190 million kilos of foreign rice arriving in Italy, with four out of five imported packs coming from Asia, fueling an excess of supply which has caused the prices paid to Italian producers to plummet by over 50% just as the countryside has to deal with heat and water scarcity, with production losses that in some areas could exceed 30%.

The concern of Italian producers

“A situation further aggravated – reports Coldiretti – by the commercial choices of the European Union, which over the years have favored the entry of products obtained with environmental, health and social rules profoundly different from those required of Italian farmers. Also of concern is the negotiation for the free trade agreement between the European Union and Thailand, which risks further opening the community market to one of the world’s largest rice exporters, with serious effects on the competitiveness of national production”.