SunRice Layoffs Shake Deniliquin | Adelaide News

0:00It's September 18th. This is Adelaide News today, powered by AI. 68 people just got laid off at the Sunrise Mill in Dinelliquin, and it's hitting this town hard. This place is basically built on rice farming, and when the biggest processor in the southern hemisphere cuts jobs, it's not just those families. Feeling in. We're talking about a ripple effect through the whole community from rent payments to local businesses. The reason for the cuts? Drought in the government buying up water rights for the environment. Sunrise says they just don't have enough rice to process, and the water prices are too high to make it profitable. Last year's harvest was the smallest in six years, and they're expecting even less this summer. This isn't just about job losses, it's about the future of the town. The mayor said one in five jobs here is tied to rice. Businesses that use rice byproducts, like rice holes for animal bedding, are already having to let people go and find workarounds, costing them a fortune. Now, the government says they're working with state officials, unions, and the community

1:03to figure out how to help the workers who lost their jobs. Sunrise is also looking at a $70 million plan to modernize their facilities and focus on value-added products like rice cakes and snacks, hoping that will help them pay growers more in the long run. They're hoping the government might release some water for agriculture, which could really help the growers and, by extension, the processing plant. But the CEO isn't ruling out more job cuts if things don't improve, so the situation is still pretty uncertain for everyone involved.