José Martínez, the president of the Calasparra Denomination of Origin in the Region of Murcia, Spain, appeared on AGROPOPULAR to discuss the current state of the local rice campaign. Despite the overall disappointing performance of the rice industry in Spain, Martínez reported that the Calasparra DO has managed to improve its Bomba variety yields by 23% compared to the previous year, reaching 23 kilos per hectare. This increase comes as a bright spot amidst a backdrop of otherwise declining yields and prices across the country. Martínez emphasized the exceptional quality of the Calasparra DO rice and stated that the industry needs to see a significant increase in prices due to the rising costs faced by farmers. Additionally, he highlighted that the DO Calasparra is the only high-mountain Designation of Origin for rice in Spain and mentioned the challenges related to reduced mowing times due to low temperatures, which are impacting the harvest campaign and extending the overall harvest season.