On Wednesday 16 January, the European Commission adopted by written procedure the decision to trigger the 'safeguard clause' reintroducing customs duties on Indica rice from Cambodia and Myanmar for three years (see EUROPE 12170).
The text should be published in the EU's Official Journal on Thursday 17 January and the safeguard clause should apply the next day, 18 January.
The regulation aims to impose, from mid-January 2019, a duty of 175 euros/tonne in 2019 on imports of Cambodian and Burmese rice that is currently duty-free, gradually reduced to 150 euros/t in 2020 and 125 euros/t in 2021.
“The entire sector is entering a new phase after years of protests”, commented Italian Agriculture Minister Gian Marco Centinaio. He stressed the importance of "protecting our products and the income of our rice farmers”.
Italy (supported by EU producer countries, including Spain and France) has been calling for the reintroduction of customs duties on Burmese and Cambodian rice for several months.
The agricultural union Coldiretti reports that rice imports into the EU from Cambodia and Myanmar have increased by 256% over the last seven years. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)