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September 9, 2003
‘Widespread rains throughout most of the Australian grain belt
during late July and August have significantly improved
prospects for this year’s winter grains crop’,
ABARE’s Executive
Director, Dr Brian Fisher, said today when releasing the
September issue of ABARE’s Australian Crop Report. In
elaborating, Dr Fisher said that, ‘Assuming average rainfall for
the remainder of the growing season, and an absence of any
serious frost damage to crops in the coming months, the
Australian winter crop production this year is now forecast to
be 37.1 million tonnes, 21.6 million tonnes above last season’s
drought affected crop’.
Dr Fisher noted that the greatest rise in production is forecast
for New South Wales, with production forecast to increase from
2.6 million tonnes in 2002-03 to 9.5 million tonnes in 2003-04,
followed by Western Australia where production is forecast to
rise from 6.2 million tonnes to 13.0 million tonnes.
However, in contrast to the situation in New South Wales and
Western Australia, there are areas in Queensland where only
limited improvement in grain production is forecast. Of
particular concern is the Central Highlands and eastern Darling
Downs regions.
Of the major winter grains, wheat production is forecast to
increase by around 14.7 million tonnes to 24.1 million tonnes,
barley up 4.1 million tonnes to 7.3 million tonnes, canola up
0.6 million tonnes to 1.4 million tonnes, lupins up 0.5 million
tonnes to 1.1 million tonnes and oats up 0.7 million tonnes to
1.4 million tonnes.
‘The total summer crop area is forecast to rise by 37 per cent
to 1.27 million hectares despite possible shortages of
irrigation water that are likely to result in decreased
plantings of cotton in 2003-04’, Dr Fisher said. He added that,
‘The area planted to rice is forecast to increase only slightly
from the low of the previous season’.
Given satisfactory planting rains in northern cropping areas,
the area planted to the major summer broadacre crops of sorghum
and maize is forecast to increase by around 59 per cent to 0.9
million hectares in 2003-04.
For copies of the Australian Crop Report please visit the
ABARE website
www.abareconomics.com or contact (02) 6272 2010. |
