Rice, another negative record: production at historic lows due to drought
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This year Italy will cultivate no more than 211,000 hectares of rice: we are at the lowest level in the last 23 years. The forecasts come from the authoritative Ente Risi and do not promise anything good. For the second consecutive year, our country, which is the main rice producer in Europe, with 50% of the continental harvest, will suffer a drastic drop in production due to the drought.
Only 30% of the water you need
In fact, rice growing is the agricultural activity that requires the greatest quantity of water, and in Northern Italy, where 94% of Italian rice is grown, reserves are already in trouble. The water basin consortia have already let rice growers know that only 30% of the water normally needed is available today. If it doesn’t rain between now and mid-April, that is when planting begins, farmers will have to decide whether to plant rice or switch to other crops.
Another black year
In addition to being the main European producer, Italy is also almost the only country in the world where the most suitable varieties for risotto are grown, such as arborio or carnaroli, for example. «Water is scarce – said the director general of Ente Risi, Roberto Magnaghi – the estimates for 2023 tell us that 7,400 fewer hectares will be cultivated than in 2022 and 16,000 fewer than in 2021». Last year, after a summer of drought, the overall rice production of Piedmont and Lombardy averaged 17% less than in 2021.
To produce a kilo of rice, quantities of water between 3,000 and 10,000 liters are required, depending on the variety and type of land used. grow, rice needs a quantity. After the plants are sown in April, it is immediately necessary to cover them with 30-40 centimeters of water, the level of which must be constantly maintained. “The world of research is already studying new varieties more resistant to drought – explained Magnaghi – but until EU legislation opens the way to new biogenetic technologies, other than GMOs, it will take years to see it in the field”.
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