Drought Spurs Australia to Import Rice or Risk Empty Shelves

  • Major buyer SunRice relies on overseas grain to meet demand
  • Domestic supplies of rice likely to run out by the end of 2020
A view of empty rice shelves at a supermarket in Brisbane, March 2020.Photographer: Florent Rols/Sipa via AP Photo
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This season, like almost 90% of Australian rice growers, Rob Massina decided to skip planting the grain on his land near the tiny town of Jerilderie, about four hours north of Melbourne.