The rice is the second cereal most cultivated, most important and most widely consumed behind corn. In our country approximately 720,000 tons are produced per year while the average consumption is around 7 kilos per person.
The Guadalquivir marshes account for 37% of the national production of this crop . Behind it is Las Vegas del Guadiana in the community of Extremadura with 23% of production . In the province of Tarragona 15% is produced, being an area of ​​excellent characteristics that has come to promote the Protected Denomination of Origin Delta de l’Ebre. And with 14% would be the Valencian Community, known worldwide for its recipes with this crop.
There are also different varieties of rice in our country, having among others:
– Round rice.
– Long rice.
– Steamed rice.
– Senia rice.
– Bomba rice.
– Bahia rice.
– Guadiamar rice

Neo range

In this month of April and in the month of May, the sowing campaign of this cereal will begin . Before,  background fertilization is advisable  to nourish the soil and later the seeds , thus avoiding possible diseases or losses that the crop could suffer. From Herogra Fertilizantes we have the Neo ® range for this , with a special one for corn and rice that, thanks to its urease inhibitor, prevents losses due to nitrogen volatilization that can be up to 40% of the input and reduces 15% the carbon footprint.

Rice sowing

Rice is the second most consumed cereal in the world behind corn. Spain produces more than 720,000 tons of rice a year and most of it is born in the Guadalquivir marshes. Other areas of great importance for rice production are the Guadiana meadows, the Ebro delta and the marshes of the Valencian Community. During the month of May and the first days of June, the rice planting campaign will take place.

Rice planting began in Andalusia in May. As of today, 75% of the areas destined for rice sowing have already been worked and it has been done aerially, mostly. The performance of this type of task depends each year on the amount of water available and the weather. The Andalusian Phytosanitary Alert and Information Network, RAIF , announced that an area sown similar to the previous one is estimated, where almost 36,000 hectares were occupied. However, it should be noted that in the previous year, the dates were notoriously delayed due to abundant rains, which is why the harvesting period was also prolonged. We will talk about rice planting in Spain, phytosanitary activities and how to carry out a more productive harvest thanks to technology.

The quality of rice

In the world there are more than 80,000 species of rice. Rice is one of the star products of our country, since it is the protagonist in many gastronomic recipes. The most common types of rice in Spain are round, long, steamed, senia, bomba, bahia and guadamar.

The Senia is rice par excellence of the Valencian area. It absorbs flavor and has a creamy texture. It is the most delicate when it comes to cooking, since it is easily passed. Another famous variety is Bomba rice . It is similar to Senia but it can handle overcooking very well. As for its cultivation, it is characterized by being very delicate. Therefore, its price will be higher than that of other varieties.

On the other hand, in a Sevillian town, Isla Mayor, more than 370,000 tons of rice are grown annually. One of its varieties is Marisma rice . Andalusian crops have been devoted most of the long rice, highly demanded in the European zone. However, Marisma rice is short-grained and has practically the same characteristics as Bomba. However, the price of the Andalusian remains below. The origin of the marsh is in the Ebro Delta and cities like Tarragona have experienced great acceptance, so the price of marsh rice rises.

Extremadura is not only characterized by its Iberian products and wine. Extremadura rice is of great quality. Rices are 70% long-grain. The round and the vaporized are also famous . It is the second power in Spain in rice production.

Value for money

Taking a general view, the thresher machine price is average, although its producers demand a price adjustment. The cheaper rice is produced among other causes by the competition generated by other exporting countries such as Cambodia or Burma. Numerous associations such as UPA-UCE have already denounced the low profitability of rice cultivation, due to these imports of foreign rice and also to the increase in production costs. The phytosanitary application is not always effective and this causes a delay in the rice season and an increase in costs.

Phytosanitary products in the production

Although its sowing generally occurs during the months of May and June, rice follows an annual cycle in which each stage is essential for a good campaign. It depends on the area, the calendar may vary.

In general, between January and February the land begins to be prepared. The lands are started to be flooded and for this the fields and the rice straw are plowed, thus producing natural fertilizer. In March and April there is practically no activity since you have to let the land rest in the sun. Phytosanitary products are applied from the end of April to May or June if necessary. In these months, the water remains stagnant and warms up little by little. In this way the rice germinates and also microorganisms harmful to our product. In May, June and July, the rice is sown. the rice stalks are ready to be replanted on the surface that has been prepared. In the following three months: August, September and October, the harvest takes place and the rice is milled.