Rice farmers forced to reduce plantings despite ideal growing conditions
Rice crops are growing “an inch a day” in perfect summer conditions, but farmers are stuck watching helplessly as water allocations reduce the area planted.
Warm days are creating ideal conditions for rice, but low water allocations are forcing some farmers to plant only half their usual area.
General security allocations in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation System were currently at 32 per cent and at 20 per cent in the NSW‑Murray system. High security allocations in the Murray were at 97 per cent and 95 per cent in the Murrumbidgee.
In the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, Willbriggie ricegrower Glen Andreazza said crops were looking outstanding.
But the caveat was he had only planted about half of the usual amount of rice because of the allocations.
“It is all planted, and it is looking green and this bit of warm weather is ideal,” he said.
“It is nearly growing an inch a day in these conditions.”
But the agronomic outlook was somewhat of a cold comfort given the fact that the planting area had been restricted.
Mr Andreazza said he had budgeted, and purchased additional water but the allocations were still disappointing.
“We are fortunate because we had a good crop of winter wheat,” he said.
The wheat, which benefited from three irrigations, had returned a whopping nine tonnes a hectare yield.
But for rice, it was a frustrating time for growers.
“We were hoping we would see about 50 per cent of the allocation to run the business efficiently and without doing too much temporary trading of water,” he said.
The ABARES December 2025 crop report stated conditions for rice planting were near ideal across much of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, but growers were being held back by low water allocations.
Water held in Murray–Darling Basin storages was around 14,650 gigalitres, about 66 per cent of capacity, down 7 percentage points on last year.
The median price for water allocation had surged to $260 a megalitre - almost double the previous season and more than three times the five-year average.
ABARES warned that decreased water volumes, low allocations, limited carry-over, and high water costs were expected to result in reduced irrigated crop production in 2025–26, leaving farmers frustrated as paddocks sat ready but under water stress.
Irrigated agriculture consultant and Finley agronomist John Lacy said there had been some very irregular temperatures in October and November.
“The start of the season didn’t favour rice in this area at all,” he said. However, it had since warmed up.
Mr Lacy said growers in his region also had to cut back rice planting due to the water allocations.
