Australia’s rice bowl primed for bumper harvest as production lifts tenfold with water

Australia’s rice bowl — the Riverina in southern New South Wales — is expecting to ramp up its production tenfold this season.

SunRice Group chief executive Rob Gordon tipped the crop would yield 450,000 paddy tonnes come harvest in autumn.

It would be a marked turnaround from earlier in the year when drought and low water allocations in the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys led to SunRice receiving its second lowest crop on record at just 45,000 tonnes, less than 5 per cent of its market requirements.

But generous rainfall has helped lift catchment dam levels, boosting general security water allocations to 77 per cent in the Murrumbidgee and 43 per cent in the Murray.

A year ago the Murray had no allocation and the Murrumbidgee just 6 per cent for general security entitlements — the effects are still being felt as around half the rice in Australian stores at the moment is imported and is expected to be at 100 per cent come January.

“We are delighted that we are seeing a return of big crops and it means that SunRice has really weathered the latest downturn in the ag cycle, and there are now some good times ahead,” Mr Gordon said.

“While it’s not the 700,000 and 800,000 tonnes we have had in the past, it’s certainly more than enough to cover all of the overheads in the Riverina.

“It also means we can service our premium markets offshore again with Australian rice, which is so valued.

“We also welcome the opportunity to bring Australian rice back to Australian consumers as well.”

ABC.net.au

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