Difficult beginnings
The first traces of rice growing in the Camargue date back to the Middle Ages. Sully, Henry IV’s minister, tried to develop it here, without success.
Desalinating the land
In the 1840s rice fields were used to absorb the Rhône’s floods and to wash the salt out of the soil, which could then be planted with vines.
The post-war boom
During the Second World War the Vichy regime brought Indochinese workers, often by force, to the farms; their role was crucial in establishing the crop. Italian and Spanish workers also contributed. The area grew from 400 hectares in 1944 to 32,000 in 1950, then about 20,000 around the turn of the millennium.
A PGI
Since 2000, Camargue rice has had protected geographical indication status, covering 15 communes in the Gard and the Bouches-du-Rhône.
Test yourself
Since when has Camargue rice had a PGI?
- 1950
- 2000 (answer)
- 2015
What were rice fields used for in the 1840s?
- To desalinate the land (answer)
- To farm fish
- To produce salt
How much rice land in 1950?
- 3,200 ha
- 32,000 ha (answer)
- 320,000 ha