A seagull stands in front of the Colosseo in Rome, Italy, on April 21, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
"I think Italy realizes that China is its economic future," she said. "This is about building that relationship as much as it is about selling some rice."
ROME, June 19 (Xinhua) -- A deal for Italy to export two kinds of specialty rice to China is seen as a sign of the continued strengthening of ties between the two countries, as it does about the popularity of Italian rice-based cuisine.
Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced recently that the two countries finalized a deal that will allow Italy to export Arborio and Carnaroli rice to China. The agreement is one of the latest commercial deals between the two countries.
The agreement was based on the protocol of China's General Administration of Customs and Italy's Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies "on the inspection and quarantine requirements of Italian rice exported to China," which stated that Italian rice "meets the inspection and quarantine requirements" for import. That cleared the way for the export of Italian rice to China.
XINHUA PHOTOS OF THE DAY
(191106) -- BEIJING, Nov. 6, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Nov. 5, 2019 shows the night view of the Bund in Shanghai, east China. (Photo by Wang Xiang/Xinhua)
"It may sound counter-intuitive that Italy will export rice to China just because China already produces so much rice already," Silvana Ballotta, head of Business Strategies, an advisory firm, said in an interview.
Rice has been part of Italian cuisine since the 15th century, but the Arborio and Carnaroli varieties only date back around 100 years. They are used to make risotto, a traditional dish in which the rice is cooked in meat, fish, or vegetable broth until it becomes creamy.
The Chinese embassy in Italy has confirmed the deal, saying it might satisfy the needs of Italian restaurants in China as risotto is an important part of the Italian cuisine.
Additionally, while Italy is Europe's leading producer of rice, the country has only around 230,000 hectares (570,000 acres) of land under cultivation for rice, all of it in northern Italy, according to data from the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies for 2018.
"Arborio and Carnaroli rice will only be part of a niche market in China," Ballotta said. "But this is more about developing the wider market for Italian food products and about the ties between the countries."
Chinese medical team experts and Italian doctors pose for a photo in Padua, Italy, March 18, 2020. (Chinese Medical Team/Handout via Xinhua)
According to Francesca Filippone, founder and managing director of L3, a business development consultancy specializing in the food and wine sectors, this deal is "a further sign of strong relations between two countries that already have many ties."
"I think Italy realizes that China is its economic future," she said. "This is about building that relationship as much as it is about selling some rice."
Ballotta said that for the Italian rice varieties to claim a market in China, distributors will have to explain how the rice should be prepared according to Italian traditions.
When it made the announcement about the deal, Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation cast it as a piece of positive economic news, especially for rice growers in the northern part of the country hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Italian economy is expected to contract by around 10 percent this year, in part because of weaker exports as the world recovers from the pandemic.
Medical experts to Italy tidy up each other's clothes before departure in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)■
