The rice sector sees its horizon very dark due to imports, diseases, and climate.

In the land of paella, the low prices of rice are causing producers to describe the campaign as disastrous, which has left behind the drought, but not the diseases and hail; they also fear that some of the indica grains will remain in their warehouses due to the abundant influx of imports. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) announced last April, at the time of rice planting, that after two years of drought, the area and production were recovering and 81,616 hectares were to be planted, with a predicted volume of around 562,294 tons. In its June report on cultivated areas, it raised the estimate to 97,000 hectares, 12.9% more than in 2024. According to the Survey on Cultivated Areas and Crop Yields (Esyrce) prepared annually by MAPA, the average area of rice cultivation has not fallen below 100,000 hectares - the maximum was in 2011, with 122,364 hectares - so far this century, except for the campaigns marked by drought (2021, 2022, and 2023). And all this, ...