Italy’s rice belt, located in the Po Valley, is experiencing a severe drought due to prolonged heatwaves and scarce rainfall. The Po River Basin Authority has issued a high level of drought severity, warning that reserves in the Alpine lakes are running low.
Impact on Rice Farms
Giuseppe Tagliabue’s estate, Cascina Rinalda, is one of the many rice farms affected by the drought. To avoid jeopardizing the entire harvest, Tagliabue decided to channel all available water to part of his land, abandoning the remaining plots. Italy is Europe’s largest rice producer, with about 235,000 hectares planted in 2025.
The drought has forced farmers to adopt an unprecedented response to save the season. A rotation system has been introduced, where different sections receive water in alternating weeks, allowing scarce resources to be shared across the region. However, the new system may not be enough to prevent significant losses for the Pavia rice sector, which could lose over €100 million due to a combination of drought, rising production costs, and falling paddy rice prices.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
