Western Australia
June 11, 2008
Source:
GRDC's The Crop Doctor
Earlier this year, Western Australia's
Minister for Agriculture and Food, Kim Chance, remarked at the
Grains Research and Development
Corporation (GRDC) supported Agribusiness Crop Updates in
Perth that graingrowers should always remember they are part of
the food and fibre chain.
Sometimes we become so focussed on the day to day business of
running a farm or research program that we forget where we fit
in the ‘big picture’.
The cereal industry is the largest agricultural sector in WA and
wheat is the dominant crop, with the state typically producing
about half of Australia’s cereals under a rain-fed agricultural
system.
Recently released
Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) figures in the
booklet ‘WA’s Agri-Food, Fibre and Industries’, show WA cereal
exports account for about half of total Australian wheat and
barley exports, a significant contribution to the agricultural
sector and the Australian economy.
Total value for all WA cereal exports was A$2.285 billion for
the 2006/2007 season.
In 2006/2007, wheat accounted for three quarters of WA cereal
exports, with the state’s top five wheat export markets being
Indonesia, India, South Korea, Japan and Yemen.
As Australia’s largest state, with an area of more than 2.5
million square kilometres, WA experiences a variety of climatic
conditions and these challenge growers.
WA grows a range of cereals for specific end uses such as
biscuits, beverages, bread, animal food and noodles and is now
the world’s major supplier of wheat for Japanese white salted
udon noodles and the world’s major producer of malting and feed
barley.
At the farm level, statistics tell us that approximately 6500
cereal farms, ranging in size from 1000 to 15,000 hectares, are
mostly family owned and operated businesses, with average total
annual production of 10 million tonnes of cereals.
WA’s success with cereals has much to do with the GRDC-destined
graingrowers’ levy, supported by contributions from the
Australian Government, which helps ensure that the GRDC can
continue to support researchers and growers to improve agronomic
practices and varieties in order to remain at the forefront of
global cereal production. |
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The Crop Doctor is
GRDC Managing Director,
Peter Reading |
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