|
|
|
Rain fell too late for winter crops
1 Dec 2004
Australia's winter crop is below the average achieved over the past five years, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. ABARE has progressively lowered its forecast for this year's crop, to 31 million tonnes from earlier forecasts of 39 million tonnes. In Western Australia, the largest winter producer of grain, output is expected to fall 29 per cent to 11 million tonnes. South Australia's production will fall 25 per cent to six million tonnes and Queensland's output will be down 10 per cent to one million tonnes. Production in New South Wales is expected to rise by about eight per cent to nine million tonnes. However, ABARE said early November rainfall created a better outlook for summer crops, and expects the area planted would rise by 25 per cent to 1.3 million hectares in 2004/05.
The Age, 01/12/04
|
|
