SUNRICE'S Deniliquin NSW rice milling operation is fully operational after a three-year shutdown.
Not only has the plant re-opened but plans are in place to quickly move to non-stop, seven-day-a-week production.
The company said last week more than 100 employees were working at the two mills on the site, which were recommissioned late last month after six years of drought forced it into "care and maintenance"in 2008.
The mill, one of the biggest in the world, is running 24 hours five days a week but needs another 40 employees to run non-stop.
Recruitment of the additional employees has begun, with a plan to reach full processing capacity by July.
SunRice chairman Gerry Lawson said the company was delighted to recommission the Deniliquin plant to process rice from this season's harvest.
Mr Lawson said $2.5 million had been spent to make the plant operational again, including repair of the internal rail system and training of staff.
"It is a joy to walk on site and hear the hum of the mills after three dormant years," he said.
"The re-opening of the mill is not only a fantastic result for SunRice and the rice industry.
"It's set to have a positive impact on the region as a whole and bring with it significant economic flow-on effects."The Deniliquin mills have capacity to process 600,000 tonnes of rice annually.
This year's rice harvest is expected to produce about 800,000 tonnes of grain, driven by good rainfall and irrigation water allocations during the past year.
When the decision was made to shut the plant in 2008, the rice crop had fallen to a low of 19,000 tonnes.
SunRice chief executive officer Gary Helou said the Deniliquin milling specialised in production of rice packs of 25kg or heavier.
Mr Helou said the Leeton mill handled small consumer packs of rice found in supermarkets.
