There is alarm in the island's Coldiretti for the rejection by the EU Court of the safeguard clause on rice , with the serious danger that wild imports will return . The strong concern arises from Oristano where the approximately 3200 hectares of rice are grown in Sardinia with a production of approximately 248,000 quintals . The provincial leaders warn that in this way one of the agro-food excellences of the territory is seriously jeopardized .
Gianni Ferrari , from the homonymous rice company, highlights the dangers one faces. «The EU launches yet another attack on the agricultural world - he declares - giving the green light to alarmist labels on wine and insects at the table, to the point of penalizing rice cultivation in Oristano and Italy. This news - he adds - has already blocked the market, causing huge damages».
President Giovanni Murru relaunches: «The need is confirmed - he underlines - for rice to be included among the products for which the application of the revocation of tariff preferences is envisaged for those countries that do not respect human rights, with a mechanism to safeguard automatic without compromises».
To date, 45% and 80% more rice respectively have entered duty free from Cambodia and Myanmar in the 2022/23 marketing year, despite serious human rights violations. To generate further alarm are the market prospects: specifically in Italy to date, in the current marketing campaign, approximately 70,000 tons of paddy rice have entered, of which approximately 50,000 duty-free. We are talking about 70% more than the previous campaign on the same date.
"On the new sowings - highlights the director Emanuele Spanò - the great unknown remains on the European regulatory system, in which rice is often and willingly sacrificed on the altar of commercial exchanges that do not take into account the importance of a strategic sector".
