Italy is the major rice producer in Europe with 1.5 million metric ton in 2018, which was 37% of total European rice production. The climate suitable for rice production is the major reason for its domination. Northern Italian regions, such as Piemonte, Lombardia, and Veneto are the leading rice-growing regions. Italy is also the leading rice exporter of Europe, with a total export value of 0.5 million in 2018. Some of the top rice importing countries from Italy are France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.

Italy depends on imports for specialty long grain Indica rice, such as basmati and jasmine, from Asian countries. Pakistan, Thailand, and India are the top rice importing partners of Italy with 23%, 15%, and 14% of importing value share. Production of good quality long grain rice, such as basmati, in those regions is the vital reason for importing from these countries. Rice imports from other countries, such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Guyana, and Suriname, are also noticed because of the duty-free market access under 'Everything But Arms' (EBA) agreement.