Drought-breaking rains may have filled up dams and jumpstarted harvesters in local paddocks, but our key rural industries - rice, cotton, citrus, wheat and grapes - are floundering under low returns to growers.

Local agribusinesses are a doing brisk trade on the back of increased production but MIA Rural owner Roy Hosking said farmers were working on extremely skinny margins.

"In the very short term, water isn't a problem because there's plenty of it and that's seen a return to pre-drought sowing levels of summer crops," Mr Hosking said.

"So there's a lot of activity but the big kicker for growers is that for the first time in a long time, all of the major local commodities are at a low point.

"Rice isn't good, wheat is average, grapes are in the doldrums and citrus and vegetables are poor.

"Growers really aren't getting much reward for effort."

Collier and Miller owner Peter Miller agreed commodity prices were a more immediate problem for farmers than a lack of water.

"Wheat's the lowest it's been in 25 years, citrus is destitute and grapes are getting the worst returns in 15 years," Mr Miller said.

"People are blaming water for everything at the moment but there's actually quite a bit about.

"We've got these very big rice and cotton crops this year but no one's got any cash so they're not spending on irrigation infrastructure and not spending much anywhere else."

ABARES economist Peter Collins told The Area News prices for rice, cotton, wheat and grain were all down on this time last year.