(b) The rice milling industry

10.4 In the rice milling industry there was similarly a tremendous growth in private sector investment in the 1990s, following a progressive withdrawal of government from the industry. According to Department of Industry figures, there are about 280 private mills as well as the government-owned ones, but this is probably a substantial underestimate of the numbers.

10.5 The industry is characterised by different scales of operation, which may be divided into village, small and medium sizes. None are large by international standards. The predominance of micro and small enterprises, with village mills classifiable as micro enterprises, makes the industry of interest and relevance to the present review.

10.6 Village mills are typically family businesses that do not hire labour, and mill in small amounts for local village consumption. Rozemuller (1999) further distinguishes (a) farmer-supplied mills, the owners of which also conduct other farm activities of some kind, such as pig-raising; (b) collector-supplied mills, operating on a larger scale and using rice collectors for the supply of paddy; and (c) still larger ‘wholesaling’ mills, which also require large storage facilities.