About the RMB

The Rice Marketing Board for the State of New South Wales was the first commodity marketing board established in New South Wales under the Marketing of Primary Products Act, 1927, and was officially constituted by Proclamation on 9th November, 1928 with the appointment of five grower elected members and two nominated members.

The board’s primary function is to obtain the best possible monetary return to ricegrowers consistent with the maintenance of orderly marketing and operates under the authority of and in accordance with the Marketing of Primary Products Act, 1983, the Public Finance and Audit Act, 1983 and the Annual Reports (Statutory Bodies) Act, 1984.

1920s
NSW rice growers request the NSW State Government to establish a Rice Marketing Board under the Marketing of Primary Products Act, 1927. The Rice Marketing Board for the State of NSW is created by proclamation on 9th November, 1928 with responsibility to ‘obtain the best possible monetary return to growers consistent with the maintenance of orderly marketing’.

1950s
NSW rice growers form Ricegrowers’ Co-operative Mills in 1951. The Co-operative increasingly takes a greater share of paddy rice from the Board as it embraced the mills at Yenda, Griffith and Echuca. In 1956 the Growers’ Equity Redemption Scheme is introduced.

1980s
In 1985 the NSW rice industry is rationalised as the Board appoints Ricegrowers’ Co-operative Ltd as its Agent and effectively contracts the functions and operations of the Board to the Co-operative while the Board retains its storage assets and its powers under the Marketing of Primary Products Act, 1983.

2000s
Rice growers produce 1,744,066 tonnes of rice in 2001 however this is followed by 390,079 tonnes of rice in 2003, 528,984 tonnes in 2004 and 304,866 tonnes in 2005 as NSW rice growers were hit by a devastating drought that tested the industry’s resilience and strength. 

2006                                                                                                                                                                               Effective from the 1st July 2006 the domestic rice market was deregulated. Parties wanting to participate in the domestic rice market must make application the Board to become an Authorised Buyer. Under the Marketing of Primary Products Act the Board as appointed Ricegrowers Limited (trading as SunRice) as the Sole and Exclusive Export Licence holder.