Australia's winter crop to rise 130pc
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
SYDNEY, June 19 (AFP): Australia's winter grains crop is set to more than double after unusually heavy rains in some areas partially offset the impact of a long-term drought, the official rural forecaster said today.
The Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics (ABARE) said the winter crop would rise to 37 million tonnes, up more than 130 percent on the previous year's drought-affected 16 million tonnes.
However, ABARE, estimated the recently-harvested summer crop would be down 57 percent at a 20-year low of 1.89 million tonnes because of the drought, saying dry conditions persisted in Queensland and parts of Western Australian.
It said rainfall across the majority of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia states had provided an ideal start to the winter crop season.
ABARE said winter wheat production was expected to rise from 9.82 tonnes to 22.5 million tonnes, just shy of the 25.4 million tonnes harvested in a bumper crop two years ago.
Barley production would increase to nine million tonnes and canola production would almost triple to 1.4 million tonnes, it added.
While farmers have welcomed recent rains, authorities say they have not been widespread enough to break Australia's worst drought in a century.
The Murray Darling Basin Commission, which oversees water allocations in the country's largest river system, said a federal government plan to halt water supplies to irrigators in the region at the end of this month would proceed.
The Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics (ABARE) said the winter crop would rise to 37 million tonnes, up more than 130 percent on the previous year's drought-affected 16 million tonnes.
However, ABARE, estimated the recently-harvested summer crop would be down 57 percent at a 20-year low of 1.89 million tonnes because of the drought, saying dry conditions persisted in Queensland and parts of Western Australian.
It said rainfall across the majority of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia states had provided an ideal start to the winter crop season.
ABARE said winter wheat production was expected to rise from 9.82 tonnes to 22.5 million tonnes, just shy of the 25.4 million tonnes harvested in a bumper crop two years ago.
Barley production would increase to nine million tonnes and canola production would almost triple to 1.4 million tonnes, it added.
While farmers have welcomed recent rains, authorities say they have not been widespread enough to break Australia's worst drought in a century.
The Murray Darling Basin Commission, which oversees water allocations in the country's largest river system, said a federal government plan to halt water supplies to irrigators in the region at the end of this month would proceed.