Date Published: 03/02/2020
ARCHIVED - Increase expected in demand for Calasparra rice after Storm Gloria flooding in Catalunya
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
The rice grown in north-west Murcia is exported all over the world as well as being sold in Spain
One of the consequences of the severe flooding caused by Storm Gloria in the delta of the River Ebro is that the local production of rice has been decimated, and as a result there is expectation in Calasparra, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, that the demand for the locally grown rice could increase significantly this year.
There are approximately 1,500 hectares of rice fields in Calasparra, where the product is protected by Denomination of Origin status, and after massive waves left the fields of the Ebro under as much as 1.5 metres of salt water as far as three kilometres inland, there are hopes for higher demand in both Calasparra and Valencia. At present the intention in Calasparra is to increase production this year by 10 per cent, although not all of the fields are in use due to the need for crop rotation.
It has to be said that the amount of rice produced in north-western Murcia is far lower than in Valencia, where 17,500 hectares are dedicated to the crop, but it has become something of a “niche” product. Between 30 and 40 per cent of production is exported abroad, reaching as far afield as Australia and the USA, while the rest is distributed in Spain and it is this sector where any increase in demand is likely to be noticed.
Calasparra rice
Calasparra is renowned for its distinctive “bomba” rice and the growing area includes the fields in El Salmerón and others on the bank of the River Segura. The grain is most usually associated with Inida and China, but rice reached Spain when the Moors colonized and occupied much of the Iberian peninsula, between 713 AD and 1492 and it was in this period that Calasparra was chosen as an ideal spot to it: the water of the Alhárabe, Argos, Quípar and Segura rivers flows in the immediate area.
In the 18th century the system used for cultivation was perfected and the crop spread throughout the flood plains of the Segura, but when it reached the land near the River Argos the prevalence of mosquitoes brought about frequent and highly virulent malaria epidemics during the second half of the century. As a result the population fell, and the Town Hall had to forbid rice fields too close to the town!
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