Farmers Rice Milling Co. Inc. will spend $13.4 million to expand and modernize its local rice mill, boosting processing speed
and volume, company officials said Tuesday.
“This project ensures Farmers Rice
Milling will continue to purchase rice from the farmers of Southwest
Louisiana and grow
its position as a leader in the world rice market,” company CEO
James Warshaw said in a news release issued by the Louisiana
Economic Development Department.
“Farmers Rice Milling Co. has been a key part of the agricultural economy in Louisiana for over 90 years, employing hundreds
of workers and buying services from vendors and suppliers around the state.”
The project, which will reportedly help the company keep 87 jobs, will include adding 55,000 square feet of space to the mill’s
clean rice packaging and distribution facility.
Farmers Rice Milling Co., a division of The Powell Group, runs the largest rice mill in Louisiana, employing more than 125
workers in the mill and related facilities and 25 at its headquarters in Baton Rouge, company officials said.
“We’ve made retaining and expanding
Louisiana’s existing businesses our top economic development priority
since taking office
in 2008, and this expansion is another example of our commitment
to make Louisiana the best place in the world to find a great
job and pursue a rewarding career,” Gov. Bobby Jindal said in the
news release.
“Farmers Rice Milling Co. could have chosen to invest in another state, but they picked Louisiana because of our strong business
climate, outstanding farmers and our incomparable workforce.”
The company processes and mills rough
rice at its Lake Charles facility, and then packages and distributes
clean rice. The
mill, which has been in business since 1917, buys from
rice-growing regions throughout Louisiana and serves customers
worldwide,
company officials said.
The state reportedly began working with Farmers Rice Milling Co. on the modernization project in May 2011, offering the company
an incentive package, including a $425,000 tax credit payable over five years and a property tax abatement.
“Whenever any of the companies upgrade their facility it is a good thing for the rice farmers and all of the rice industry
in the area,” said Kevin Berken, chairman of the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board.
Online: www.louisianaeconomicdevelopment.com.