Whether you’re harvesting grain, monitoring ducks, flushing rice and getting the three way mix on, it’s a busy time of year. With a supplementary event in the Murrumbidgee just announced, allocations building, some common sense with the Barmah Millewa account payback lifted to 50% and downward pressure on temporary water prices, we are looking at a solid end to 2020 and strong start to 2021.
Since my last update, rice planting has been in full swing and growers have pushed to get Reiziq in prior to the close of the planting window. This reaffirms the importance of having diversity in agricultural production in the southern connected system. As an annual crop, rice has flexibility going into summer and provides a real option as water becomes available.
We continue to make this point in many of our submissions, in particular the ACCC Review into water markets. The notion that water trade on an open market will go to the highest farm gate value is something that we all need to be aware of. Equally as important is the value of a diverse agricultural landscape that supports a variety of food processors, small business, employment and our communities. The RGA recognises that there is a place for rice in the farming system, and we will continue to advocate for this on behalf of our members.
The ACCC’s Final Report will set the agenda for market reform for the next decade and beyond. To ensure the success of future reform, it is critical that adequate time and resources are dedicated to analysing the various reform options. More importantly that stakeholders, including the rice industry, are adequately engaged and listened to throughout this process. The impacts of the broader water reform agenda has made Australia high cost rice producers.
Over the last few weeks we have called for greater clarity around recent inflows and where they are being used. We are estimating that there is over 10GL unaccounted for going over the SA board. The RGA has made very it very clear that it is not our role to decipher the myriad of reports and communicate this information so that irrigators can make better informed business decisions. It’s up to the Murray Darling Basin Authority to improve clarity, and accessibility to information about flows, which will better inform our members and all growers. The RGA would welcome a fortnightly document, from the MDBA outlining this allocation process.
The scoping project currently being conducted into a ‘step change’ in rice production in Australia will ramp up in the coming months. The RGA will be working with, AgriFutures, the R&D Advisory Panel, Rice Extension and SunRice to ensure that no stone is left unturned and ensure that growers are engaged throughout the process.
Lastly, Graeme and I had the pleasure of joining the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Board and Executive Management team last week. The purpose was to update them on the rice industry, our policy positions and discuss water delivery to ever changing rice systems. This was a very productive meeting and I look forward to continuing this into the future.
Robert Massina,
President,
Ricegrowers' Association of Australia