Dr Jacqueline Rowarth: Lincoln University Adjunct Professor on the viability of growing rice in New Zealand

Is it worth trying to grow rice in New Zealand? 

As our appetite for the staple crop increases, ecologist Yuki Fukada has pointed out the complete lack of commercial rice production in the country. 

We’re currently importing $95 million worth of rice from overseas – about 85,000 tons.  

Lincoln University’s Dr Jacqueline Rowarth told Mike Hosking Fukada is looking at it in terms of volume, but she thinks we should be looking at value instead. 

Rice is a $2 a kilo crop, Rowarth says, and if we can grow something of a higher value we should stick with that instead of replacing it with rice. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is it out of left field or a real possibility?
The idea of growing rice commercially in this country. Currently
commercially we grow, of course none, but we import ninety
five million dollars worth, which is eighty five thousand tons
are Doctor Jacqueline Roweth, Ed, Junct Professor of Course at
Lincoln University, is back with us on the program. Jackeline,
good morning, Good morning, Mike. So the suggestion has been made.

(00:20):
Have you ever thought about it before? Outside of this
particular suggestion, you ever thought they'd go? I wonder if
we should grow rice.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
We look at all sorts of things in the agricultural
field like pun sorry there, but looking at what we
might be able to grow more efficiently, effectively and therefore
profitably than other countries. And it's lovely to see Yuki
Fakuda and taught her at Lincoln back in the nineties
thinking innovatively like this. What she's done is go for volume.

(00:47):
I think we should be looking at value. Rice is
a two dollars a kilo crop. Is it sensible to
be trying to grow it here? And she's talking about
in the future, So she's doing exploratory work. What would
it be replacing if we can grow something that is
of more high value, we should be sticking with that.
And in Nelson it's probably still going to be grapes

(01:09):
for a while.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Exactly, And that answers the question. Having said that, and
would we also want to grow for just purely domestic consumption,
which I assume is solving our importing problem. Would we
do that? Is that sensible or not?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
We always do that if it's sensible. And the question is, well,
we can't compete with India, China, Indonesia at the moment
they have minimum weight, Well, they don't have minimum wages,
they don't have maternity even all of those sorts of
things or acc and their environmental compliance is not the
same as ours. So you might be saying why do

(01:41):
we buy rice? Well, at least it gives.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Them an income, that's true. All I know about growing
rice is you need a tremendous amount of water. That
would be immediately an issue here, wouldn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yes, you can grow it without paddy the pogging though
water underwater type system, but it is quite a high
water user. It also us is quite a bit of
night which people forget. So it would we be able
to grow without as much water as they use in
many places in China, certainly, but yet it is a

(02:10):
high use of water. But Mike, remember we use very
little of the water that we have available in this country. Yes,
only about five percent.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
That's right. This is what where this came from. Partially
is the climate change thing. Is the climate change thing,
in your view, consistent enough and dramatic enough to change
what's grown. And we're in a fairly dynamic way.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
We're looking at that all the time as researchers. And
it is certainly possible to grow things like limpils or
chickpeas on the Canterbury planes, but we can't do it economically.
So periodically people trusted out. And remember the Foundation for
Arable Research does where it has looked at father beans,
for instance, can we shift our production systems? But it hasn't.

(02:54):
The climate has not got warm enough for and given
us a consistent harvest season to allow us to be
able to compete with for instance, Canada for peas in peas,
we can't split peas, give peace we can't do again.
It comes back to the cost of production, which includes
the wages, environmental compliance type problems.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
Jacquelin always appreciate your time and expertise Jacqueline howth Rowe
with Rather Doctor, Adjunct professoral Lincoln University. For more from
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