Greece Sets Funding and Processing Priorities for Its Rice Value Chain

Support extends from farms to processing

Greece has set out a broad program to strengthen its rice sector through producer aid, investment financing, quality systems and more modern processing. Argiro Zerva, Secretary General for Union Resources and Infrastructure at the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, presented the priorities at the 3rd Rice Festival in Thessaloniki, held on 19 and 20 September and organized by the Hellenic Rice Millers Association.

According to Agronews, Zerva said policy should address the entire Greek rice value chain, from cultivation and product quality to processing, packaging and sales in domestic and international markets. The objective is not only to produce quality rice but also to increase its commercial value and retain a larger share of that value inside Greece.

Growers receive direct financial support

Rice producers received the maximum available coupled support this year, amounting to €34.5 per stremma, Zerva said. An additional €22 million was allocated through de minimis aid, equivalent to €70 per stremma. One stremma equals 0.1 hectare, making the two per-area figures equivalent to €345 and €700 per hectare, respectively.

Thessaliki Gi reported that the ministry is also preparing a new intervention for alternative weed control using false seedbeds. Under this method, weeds are encouraged to emerge before the rice crop is established and are then controlled. The program is intended to complement support for rice farmers joining national quality schemes, linking production practices more closely with product identity and market positioning.

Investment and working-capital finance

The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Fund is expected to provide new options for financing both investment projects and working capital. The available reports do not specify the size, timetable or lending terms of these instruments. For growers and processors, those details will determine whether the initiative supports incremental upgrades or enables larger modernization projects.

Processing is a central part of the government’s approach. Business Daily reported that Zerva identified it as essential to improving competitiveness and creating more added value for Greek production. Stronger coordination among growers, rice mills, packaging operations and the market could allow the industry to sell a more differentiated product rather than relying primarily on unprocessed output or undifferentiated volumes.

Rice sector invited into CAP debate

Zerva called on the Hellenic Rice Millers Association to participate actively in Greece’s national dialogue on the Common Agricultural Policy for 2028–2034. The association was invited to submit proposals covering the future of rice cultivation and the wider Greek agri-food sector. The process gives producers and processors an opportunity to set out their requirements before the next policy period is defined.

The announced direction combines immediate income support with longer-term measures covering agronomy, finance, quality certification, branding and industrial capacity. No production targets, processing-capacity goals or export objectives were disclosed. The commercial effect will therefore depend on the design and uptake of the new financing tools, the implementation of the weed-control intervention and the industry’s ability to turn quality and Greek origin into higher-value sales.