The Guide > Food & Drink > Baking & Cooking > Rice
Rice
Rice is a water hungry crop, and not naturally suited to being grown in Australia, a dry continent. 1 kg of rice needs approximately 3400 litres of water (www.waterfootprint.org).
Most Australian rice is grown in the Murray-Darling River Basin, and draws a significant amount of water from that river system. Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2005-6 estimated to create one dollar of product, the rice sector consumes 4569 litres of Murray-Darling water. 90% of Australian rice produced is for export.
That said, the Australian Rice industry is one of the most efficient in the world, having improved water use efficiency by 60% over the past 10 years and now using use 50% less water to grow one kilo of rice than the world average.
  • You may wish to buy rice from a country further away, having higher rainfall. The trade off is that it has travelled a long way. Choose a closer country such as Indonesia rather than India. Alternatively you may wish to choose Australian grown rice and so you reduce travel miles, and invest in a local industry.
Features: Low water footprint
This certified biodynamic rice is grown in Northern NSW without irrigation. Grown and milled on the family-owned Slater Farm in Northern Rivers, NSW. Distributed by Santos Trading, Byron Bay, located less than 100km from the farm.
Manufacturer: Slater Farm / Santos
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