Rice Growing

The millet brooms were imported from China and a former rice farmer says he "nearly fell over" when he saw one on the hardware giant's shelf in the heart of Australian rice-growing country.

Among the thousands of seeds secured in the George Hulbert Seed Vault are historic sushi rices from Japan, rice from the mountain regions of South Korea, and varieties that are no longer grown in Australia.

Australian rice growers have mixed views about the biggest shake-up of the industry in 100 years, but change is on the way.

Alarm bells are ringing in NSW after the fungal disease Rice Blast was identified in crops in the state's north, with authorities moving to prevent it spreading to major growing regions further south.

As severe drought reduces output of the food staple — lifting prices, requiring increased imports and threatening food security — the Indonesian military is ordered to help farmers plant rice.

Farmers who fed 22 million people from their one rice crop are unsure they will stick with industry that's plagued with water woes.

As the federal government's proposed changes head to debate in the Senate, a committee has backed the use of buybacks to meet recovery targets, and called for more scrutiny of water-saving projects, and greater First Nations involvement.

A condition dubbed "fried rice syndrome" refers to food poisoning from a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which becomes a risk when cooked food is left at room temperature for too long. Here's what to know and how to protect yourself, writes Enzo Palombo

Rice grown in paddy fields is responsible for 10 percent of the world's methane emissions. A small group of farmers in northern New South Wales is growing dry-land rice and hope their smaller methane and water footprint will appeal to customers. Northern growers are also hoping research by plant breeders at Southern Cross University will give them a new black variety sought after as a so called "super food".

Rice is agriculture's second-largest methane emitter, surpassing beef, but a small group of growers is producing a rain-fed crop, with a smaller environmental footprint. The problem is they can't export it.

Annabel Crabb's fancy rice pudding has a brûléed top. Serve with roasted rhubarb and blackberries.

The Indian rice export ban, the war in Ukraine and El Niño are combining to create a "doom loop" for the world's poorest people, as staple food prices soar.

In Savannakhet — a province in southern Laos — subsistence rice farmers toil for weeks on end weeding their crops.

The Indonesian government has inked an agreement to import 1 million tonnes of rice from India in an "emergency" situation. But Indonesian farmers disagree with that decision.

Trials have begun to create rice varieties that don't need as much water to grow. It comes as growers question if the industry's new target can be reached in the time frame given.  

After a bumper year in 2021, growers in the rice production hotspot of southern NSW are struggling to sow their crops after flooding and heavy rain.

With more rain on the radar for southern NSW this weekend, frustrated growers are unsure if they will be able to plant their summer crops.

Native rice could soon be on the menu at Australian restaurants after it was successfully harvested as a part of a Northern Territory research project. 

Once reserved strictly for royalty in China, black rice is commercially harvested in Australia for the first time. 

A Lismore vet fears the worst is yet to come for farmers struggling with water-logged paddocks as he launches an attack on decision makers he says do not understand their plight.