Riverina rice growers, NSW parliamentarians, government and industry officials enjoyed a Middle Eastern-themed dinner at a SunRice event in Sydney recently to celebrate the important and expanding role NSW-grown rice plays in markets around the world.

The evening also highlighted how collaboration between the rice industry and NSW government has played an important role in underpinning this international success.

SunRice chief executive officer Rob Gordon highlighted the importance of the Middle Eastern market for SunRice, Riverina rice growers and regional communities.

“Over three million tonnes of rice are consumed per annum in the Middle East,” he said. “SunRice is the market leader in the Japonica segment, with a 33 per cent share with the Sunwhite brand.

“Over the past year, driven by our ongoing investment, including the opening of an office in Dubai, we continued to deliver exceptional growth in the region. 

For example, Sunwhite has a total market value share approaching 60 per cent in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).”

Mr Gordon said as a part of SunRice’s strategy to respond to consumer trends, in September the company launched its popular brown rice chips in the Middle East in response to increasing demand for healthy snacking options.

”Shelves in a major retailer emptied almost as quickly as they were filled,” he said. 

“We expect that around 100 tonnes of the chips will be sold in the Middle East this year through major grocery and convenience retailers in over 1000 different outlets across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait.

“Our success in the Middle East demonstrates the important contribution Australia’s rice industry makes to the country’s export economy, as well as regional NSW, where SunRice proudly employs almost 700 staff, predominantly in the Riverina.”