THE cards are falling the right way for the rice industry for the first time in years.
Australia's rice growers could produce up to 170,000 tonnes of rice this season as late increases in water allocations and the weather work in their favour.
Griffith grower and Ricegrowers Association of Australia Mirrool branch president Glen Andreazza is one of those producing his biggest crop in years.
"Last year you could practically count the number of people growing rice on one hand and this year there are more people and they are growing much bigger areas," he said.
"In the past season, I planted just 26ha of rice - but this year, I have more than triple that amount."
Mr Andreazza said recent hot weather had been ideal for the industry, especially the later-sown crops planted after water allocations were increased.
"The crops I sowed later are actually doing as well if not better than the ones sown earlier. The weather (heat in November) is more like we used to have 10 years ago."
Mr Andreazza locked about 75 per cent of his rice into the first pool at $550 a tonne, with the rest sold into the second pool with an indicative price of $400 a tonne.
"We are targeting on getting 11 tonnes a hectare, so it is a pretty good return," he said.
Mr Andreazza said grower morale was running high and many were quick to convert allocations into growing the summer crop.
"People are excited to be growing rice again and there is a lot of rice in," he said.
"The predictions are that the industry will produce 150,000 to 170,000 tonnes of rice, thanks to later increases in water allocations, which fired people up again to sow more rice."
