İpsala Pirinci

İpsala Pirinci is a long-grain white rice of the Oryza sativa L. species, grown on the İpsala Plain in Edirne province in the Marmara region of northwest Turkey. The European Commission entered it in the register of protected designations of origin on 17 November 2025, by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2317, published in Official Journal L series 2025/2317. The Single Document was published in OJ C/2025/4075 on 17 July 2025 following no opposition. The EU file number is PDO-TR-02806, with a national application date of 14 October 2021. The application was submitted by the Keşan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keşan Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası), together with 17 producer organisations within the geographical boundaries.

What makes it distinct

İpsala Pirinci has a glassy, matte appearance and long, thick grains. The grain size varies between 6.7 and 7.1 mm in length and 2.6 to 3.1 mm in width. The weight of 1,000 grains is between 24 and 32 grams. It does not shed grain and is stringless.

The İpsala Plain lies near sea level and is open to sea air from the south. The salinity of the soil (pH 7.04, EC value 5.42 mS/cm, saturation value 108.79) and sea air exposure produce grains that are more glassy and matte in appearance, reducing the occurrence of white core or chalky areas in the grain. The maximum white core rate is 1% by weight. The average protein content is 9.02%, higher than the 7.02–8.80% range found in rice from other Turkish regions.

Physical and chemical properties

The following values are taken directly from the Single Document (OJ C/2025/4075) and product specification (Ref. Ares(2025)1898093):

Physical properties:

• Grain length: minimum 6.7 mm

• Length-to-width ratio: 2 ≤ – ≤ 3

• Growing period: 125–130 days

• Plant height: 105–115 cm

• Average yield: 750–850 kg per decare

• Yield of unbroken rice: 60%

• Storage life: up to two years at 15–20°C and 60% humidity

Chemical properties:

• Average protein ratio: 9.02%

• Maximum humidity: 14.5%

• Amylase value: 27.12–30.75%

• Colour L (lightness): 90.29–92.08

• Colour a (redness/greenness): 2.5–2.8

• Colour b* (yellowness/blueness): 8.0–9.4

Defect tolerances (maximum % by weight):

Production zone

The geographical area is İpsala district, which encompasses the İpsala Plain in Edirne province. The borders run from the Enez border in the south to Sarıcaali in the north, and from Gala Lake in the northeast to Koyuntepe Village in the west.

All production stages from cultivation to harvest must be carried out within the geographical area. Drying, classification, sorting, and packaging must also be carried out within the geographical area to preserve product characteristics and guarantee quality.

Paddy farming is conducted on a total area of 250,000 decares in İpsala district. Annual paddy production is approximately 200,000 tonnes. Production enterprises range from 500 to 10,000 decares. There are 15 rice mills equipped with modern machinery in the district.

Soil and climate

The İpsala Plain sits at an elevation very close to sea level. The soil has a clayey, loamy, alluvial structure. The plain merges with the Meriç River to the west and forms swamps with the Ergene River from the north. When the plain floods in winter, a thin layer of alluvium covers the soil surface, continuously enriching it. The intersection of the Meriç and Ergene river systems provides water abundance that contributes to rice grains reaching their ideal size.

The maximum temperature in July and August is 31.3°C, and the day-to-night temperature difference during grain filling is not large, keeping the white core rate low. During the growing period (April–October), average relative humidity is approximately 68.8% due to sea air influence, preventing hot and dry windy conditions that would otherwise reduce yield.

Production method

Rice is planted in May. Maintenance works including disinfection, fertilisation, and irrigation are carried out in June and July. The crop begins to bloom in late July to early August and reaches harvest maturity from early September. Harvesting is carried out when the moisture content of the grains in the field reaches 22–23%.

After harvest, paddy is transported to processing factories. The hulls are removed, then the rice is bleached, polished, and packaged. After harvesting, İpsala Pirinci is dried for 6–10 hours at 45°C until the moisture content of the grains drops to 14.5%. Grains and shells are separated by coarse sifting and by removing shells in a peeling machine. The product then passes through a screening process to check for foreign matter. During classification, it is sorted by colour sorting machine and separated according to quality grade.

Paddy seeds used in production must originate from within the geographical boundaries of İpsala.

Historical background

Paddy cultivation in the İpsala Plain dates to the mid-1930s. İsmail Sirke wrote in 1953 that twenty years earlier no one in İpsala knew what paddy was, but by then everyone was planting it, using the Maritsa and Ergene rivers and lake margins as paddy fields. In 1949, İpsala Pirinci producers came together and founded the Thrace Rice Growers Association.

Today most people within the geographical area are engaged in agriculture, especially rice cultivation. The knowledge required to determine optimal harvest timing — when 80% of the rice has acquired straw colour, the grains at the bottom have reached the hard wax stage, and moisture is between 22–24% — is passed between generations of local producers.

Control and certification

The competent control authority, as listed in the EU register, is the Edirne Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (İstasyon Mah. Talatpaşa Cad. No:43, Edirne). Inspections are coordinated by the Keşan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which maintains a list of producers to ensure traceability and origin. The inspection body audits the Keşan Chamber including production area, product characteristics, quality parameters, and production methods.

All İpsala Pirinci labelling must include the registered product name designation and the İpsala Pirinci logo. The PDO logo may also be used on packaging.