The Rice Marketing Board for the State of New South Wales (the RMB) puts the interests of the rice growers of New South Wales first in everything it does. The Covid-19 pandemic has created disruption on a global scale but I would like to assure everyone with whom the Board interacts that the RMB is doing everything it can to minimise the impact of the pandemic on the NSW rice industry.
In response to the pandemic, the RMB has held discussions with SunRice, the largest buyer of NSW Rice, about such issues as:
- measures that might be taken to combat potential shortages of rice in the Australian market;
- the impacts on supply chains and in particular on the importation of chemicals needed to support the 2020 rice cropping program; and
- the impacts on SunRice’s export and off-shore operations.
The RMB has also alerted the Department of Primary Industries to the immediate impact of the pandemic on the NSW rice industry and the potential for further impact.
The RMB is conducting all meetings by teleconference. The RMB employs two staff (one of whom only works part-time) and both are working from home. Stakeholders are able to access the RMB’s Board Secretary Carol Chiswell via email to [email protected] or phone 02 6953 3200.
Government is telling us that the pandemic and associated disruption may get worse before things start to stabilise and that the personal and collective measures that we are all being encouraged to embrace may have to be observed for an extended period of time. Please be assured that the RMB remains very much open for business and that our thoughts are with those whose health and livelihoods have been placed at risk by Covid-19.