RICE CROPS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1929, Page 10

RICE CROPS

SUCCESS IN AUSTRALIA

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, 21st November.

.Remarkable success has attended th«j efforts to grow rice in Australia. Tha" average consumption of rice within, tliej Commonwealth over the last five yearq has been 17,000 tons annually, and lonjj before the people had realised the extenjj lof the industry—it would be safe t<s say that thousands did not know of it^ existence—it was announced the otheij day that the Australian crop was equal jto the demand. More than that there ! was surplus for export. It is even stated ■that over-production should not present any undue difficulties as there is a ready market for rice in the East as well aa in England and Germany. So Australia has another means of adding to its wealth if it is ready to seize the oppor» tunity thus presented. The probability of being able to supply New Zealand with all its rice requirements has been discussed, and it is considered that there should be no difficulties on that score. There are still scores of people who regret the lack of trade reciprocation be« tween New Zealand and the Common, wealth, and the new Labour Government is being widely urged to explore more fully the possibilities in that diri ection.

In Australia the cultivation of ricaj has been carried on tentatively for some years. A Japanese on the banks of tha Murray River has .been growing rice for| a long time, but not on a commerical scale. However, ho was able to provqj conclusively that rice could be growaj in this country, and now the success attending the rice growers in the Mur» rumbidge irrigation area has arnpljj proved that rice can be grown profitable; on a commercial scale in the Common* wealth. Rice cultivation on an expert mental scalo was carried on at Yancsj for some years. There it was found thalj the large area of heavy clay botton^ would make an excellent paddy field« and in 1924-25 an attempt was made tdj grow rico on a commercial scale. Is£ that year 153 acres were cropn«i f<» yieW of 16,249 bushels.

Consignments of the "paddy" ric«t were sent to Sidney and l.telbourne foij the treatment which is necessary beforri it can be marketed, and the resulta showed that the quality was mucU' superior to that of the imported article. In the following year 1556 acres yielded 61,000 bushels of rice. This was an average of more than 39 bushels to the acre—a heavy crop. In 1926-27 the area under cultivation was increased to nearly 4000 acres, from which 217,740 bushels were reaped, for an average of more than 54 bushels to the acre Tho final figures for the year 1928-29 are not yet available, but it is estimated that 12,000 were harvested for 960,000 bushels of rice. The value of this year's crop will be about £200,000. The demand in Australia is fos greater production. The rice growers seem to be showing the way.