Italy, together with seven other countries, has requested urgent measures by the European Commission to support the European rice market.
Italy’s Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali (Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies), or MiPAAF, stated that it launched the initiative together with other leading rice European producing countries - France, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Romania.
The agriculture ministers signed a strategic document with four fundamental demands. These include the activation of the safeguard clause for imports from less developed countries; the recognition of the specificity of the sector in the new Common Agricultural Policy; enhancing labelling models through initiatives to increase the consumption of rice produced in the EU; and conducting in-depth studies to assess the effects that these systems have on less-developed countries.
Industry Priorities
According to MiPAAF minister Maurizio Martina, preserving the income of Italian producers is the top priority, adding that Italy and Europe “can no longer afford a market imbalance caused by agreements that put our farmers at a disadvantage and are in danger of resetting European production”.
A recent market analysis since 1 September 2009, when full liberalisation of imports from less-developed countries began, shows a progressive increase of rice imports to the EU (+65% since the season 2008/2009), reaching a record 1.34 million tonnes in 2015/2016.
Over the same period there has also been a 45% increase in imports of rice in small packages, while European stocks have reached record levels (586,000 tonnes, 30% of the EU production).
Italian authorities have warned that, if these trends continue, there is a real risk that EU will become completely dependent on rice imports.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
