Rice bubbles to top of the pops for Ord expansion

Rice is to become one of the Ord Valley’s biggest crops with farmers planning to quadruple plantings in the northern irrigation scheme next year.

The first Ord rice harvest in almost three decades, expected to be completed next week with an estimated total yield of 1700 tonnes, has attracted national attention, particularly from those in drought-ravaged areas of NSW and Victoria.

Thirty irrigation farmers from NSW visited the region this month and more are expected to tour next year, as 8000ha developed under the State Government’s $220 million Ord irrigation expansion goes on sale.

Chairman of the Ord Industry Development Group Robert Boshammer said farmers had indicated up to 1200ha of rice could be grown next year with an expected yield of about 10,000 tonnes.

That would make rice the third biggest crop in the northern irrigation scheme, behind Indian sandalwood and the oil seed chia.

Mr Boshammer said the industry development group was working with Australian rice marketer SunRice to develop additional handling, drying and storage facilities at Kununurra.

Ord Valley rice would be shipped to Papua New Guinea, where SunRice operates a mill.

The rice crop, grown about 20km north of Kununurra, has been heralded as water efficient, using about half the water required to grow the crop in traditional rice-growing areas of NSW and Victoria.

Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman released a report on Friday showing an additional 50,000ha of land near Kununurra was suitable for agricultural production.

Another report commissioned by his department found water supply would not limit further expansion in the region.

Mr Redman said the Ord Valley had “massive potential” to become one of the great food growing areas of the nation.

By NATHAN DYER