DENILIQUIN’S rice processing mill is on track to re-open towards the end of March next year, with expectations of a bumper crop generating a buoyant mood amongst rice growers and the local community.
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SunRice deputy chairman Mark Robertson said the mill was expected to return to full capacity within about 12 months of re-opening.
“Depending on the water situation, in two to three years we think the plant will be getting back to some sort of normality,” he said.
“Other crops are produced in the Riverina but rice is the base crop and it does well.
“We grow high yields and a good clean quality product.”
The rice mill has been in care and maintenance for about three years.
Consecutive droughts over six years depleted production from 400,000 tonnes to 200,000t and less than 20,000t in 2007-08, forcing the eventual closure only days before Christmas and the loss of large staff numbers.
Since then two full time workers have maintained the plant, running it at full operational capacity every three months to keep the wheels slowly turning.
A successful advertising campaign in recent weeks has also seen the company inundated with employment applications that are now being processed to fill the 88 job vacancies on offer.
SunRice management say new workers are expressing strong interest in the jobs while previous employees are also looking to return.
Mr Robertson said the Deniliquin community was feeling extremely buoyant about the plant’s re-opening.
“You would not get a more positive feeling than what we are getting in this town and region (about the plant re-opening),” he said.
“The whole Riverina relies on these mills for rice in this region.”
Mr Roberts is a rice grower and farms about 70kms north east of the Deniliquin site.
He said the mill, one of the biggest in the world, was strategically important for processing rice in large bags and in bulk, which is then exported to SunRice customers throughout the world.
Mr Roberts said he expected the mill to process about 500,000t to 550,000t in its first season but the final volume depends on harvest results.
“We are saying 800,000t but that will depend how it yields in the weather,” he said.
“The Leeton mill will be about 250,000t and the Deniliquin mill will pick up the balance.”
The mill’s maintenance manager Greg McBain said a decision was made when the business closed to keep it in a fully operational state, with a view to one day re-opening.
Mr McBain said machinery was currently being reconditioned to bring it up to speed and excitement was building around the opening.
“We have advertised extensively and had interest nationwide – it’s been very successful so far,” he said in describing the facility and its plans to re-open, to a contingent of Coalition politicians and advisors who toured the facility last week.
“We want to operate the plant like a family type environment and would like team players.”
Federal Nationals Leader Warren Truss said re-opening the SunRice facility in Deniliquin was something everyone in the nation should be proud of, not just the local community.
“You can sense the excitement in the community that’s building because of the plant re-opening,” he said.
“It’s an example of the high quality infrastructure in the rice industry that has been possible because it has been a very successful and profitable industry.
“We produce a work class product and SunRice is one of the leading rice companies in the world.
“It’s not just something the local community should be proud of but the whole country should feel proud of it.
“They were courageous and innovative to moth ball the plant and their confidence in the industry has been rewarded now by the fact they are now able to re-open the plant.”
