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SUNRICE has put its Brandon rice mill and associated silo complex in North Queensland on the market.

Located about 1km north of the Brandon township, 6km north of Ayr and 80km south-east of Townsville, the complex offers infrastructure rare to the region with limited existing capacity and growing interest in grain production.

The 3.3ha site features 5610 tonnes of grain storage across 38 silos, mill and husk sheds, offices, and a range of milling and other plant infrastructure and equipment.

Ray White Rural Queensland principal-director Bruce Douglas and director Jez McNamara are handling the listing.

Mr McNamara said they have already had “inquiries from across the country” on the mill.

“I think it will be quite widely received,” Mr McNamara said.

He said the easy access to the Port of Townsville could make it an attractive property for grain growers and mixed farmers looking to export out of North Qld.

“It’s a great site and it’s really for anyone who is interested in exporting grain through the north or storage for grain to bring south.

“It could even appeal to people out through Julia Creek and those areas where they’re starting to grow crops where they traditionally haven’t grown crops.”

Despite being mothballed for several years, the mill and silo complex remains largely operational, though the main elevator and some components are likely to require maintenance or investment before returning to full capacity.

Wobbly path for Qld rice

SunRice purchased the complex from the Blue Ribbon Rice Group in 2014 with the goal of expanding North Qld’s rice industry.

At the time, the plant was processing about 2000t of rice per annum, as well as processing and packing mungbeans and other pulses.

Since then, SunRice had invested in infrastructure at the site and research into tropical rice production.

These capital works include the addition of rice-paddy drying silos, a new packing line to produce 20kg packs of branded North Queensland Rice for the foodservice industry, and a new huller and colour sorter.

The R&D organisation, then known as Rice Research Australia, led research into North Qld rice production, which found the crop had an agronomic fit in a legume-sugarcane rotation, bolstered cashflow, improved soil, and reduced disease.

However, despite these investments, northern rice production never reached the levels hoped by SunRice.

According to ABARES figures, the largest rice crop harvested for all of Qld in the past 10 years was 11,000t from 2000ha in 2015-16.

ABARES June crop report estimates Qld ‘s 2024-25 rice production at 2300t from 400ha, down from the five-year average of 3200t from 600ha.

In 2020, the state Liberal National Party – then in opposition – pledged a $10 million investment for the Brandon mill to support an expansion to process up to 25,000t per annum.

The LNP Member for Burdekin Dale Last said the expansion would mean the site could increase storage and processing of other commodities, such as mungbeans, corn, and sorghum.

The then SunRice Group chief executive officer Rob Gordon said the investment would support its plans for the site and the wider rice industry in the region.

“This $10M investment will allow us to immediately proceed with Stage 1 – to expand our facility and build production to 25,000t per annum – and will open the door to our future plans to build an industry of 100,000t annually,” Mr Gordon said.

Unable to form government in 2020, and despite its win in 2025, the LNP has not renewed a promise of investment into the Brandon mill.

Source : graincentral