A new black rice was born on the island. It is called “Riso Jolly nero” and has recently been listed in the parietal register of the National Rice Authority.

The producer is Gianni Meli , one of the largest rice growers in the Oristano province with productions in the countryside of Cabras, Oristano, Silì, Zeddiani and Baratili San Pietro. Son of art : his father was Tatano Meli , one of the major Italian rice entrepreneurs , for years president of the provincial farmers' union of Oristano and national manager of Confagricoltura.

In Cabras, Gianni Meli's town of origin, the new product was presented to the public in the new Contini cellar. It is a project that began nine years ago , and which has gathered research and experiments on seeds over time. As explained by the Agricultural Research Council, the company has chosen to do the registration with variety protection . This means that anyone will be able to improve the quality of the rice but will necessarily have to grow it on the land owned by the company that created it. The company, therefore, must always be recognized as the authorship.

Gianni Meli tells how this project was born: «First of all from the desire to grow - he comments - The passion for rice has always been present in my family. That's why now I wanted to create something new , different. Before seeing the rice inside the packages it took many years between the search for the right ear, the results of the various commissions and the checks by Crea, the Superior Council for agricultural research ».

For the Meli company , a dream come true . Up to now 600 quintals of black rice have been produced . Ciera 150 are already on the shelves of the Cabras and Oristano supermarkets.

The new product was also appreciated by the various chefs present a few days ago at the presentation of the new island product.