Australian rice growers are continually improving their water use efficiency
Water restrictions in urban Australia have nothing to do with rice farms
Rice is a valuable crop to Australia
Rice varieties grown in Australia are not the same as those grown in Asia
Water used on rice is not the same as drinking water
Rice farms promote biodiversity
Rice is not the agricultural product which uses the most water
If there’s no water, there’s no rice crop
Rice growers are committed to the environment
Rice varieties grown in Australia are not the same as those grown in Asia
The rice grown in Australia has been developed specifically to suit our climate.
A common perception is that all rice is best suited to a tropical climate, but almost all of the rice produced in Australia is of the variety Japonica which is perfectly suited to the dry temperate micro-climate of the Australian rice growing region.
Rice can be divided into two types – Japonica and Indica. Japonica rice is usually grown in temperate climates, like Australia, California, Egypt, parts of China and Japan. The grains are round and when cooked, this rice is sticky and moist.
Indica rice is grown in hot, tropical climates. The grains are long and when cooked, the rice is fluffy and does not stick together. Most of the rice produced in Southern Asia, including India, Thailand, Vietnam and Southern China is Indica rice.
Rice breeders in Australia have developed new varieties of rice to suit the environmental conditions here. For example, as Indica rice cannot be grown in Australia’s rice growing region, rice breeders have incorporated some Indica characteristics into varieties of Japonica rice.
In 2003, the rice industry launched a new breed of rice that is designed to reduce water use by a further 10%. Further water efficient varieties are constantly under development.
Want to know more about this issue?
Below you will find links to useful information:
Fact sheets
- Rice varieties in Australia (PDF | 204kb)
- The rice growing and production process (PDF | 352kb)