The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) says crop yields have held up reasonably well in many winter cropping regions, despite the dry seasonal conditions experienced in the past few months. It says Australian total winter crop production is forecast to be 23% lower than last season’s record harvest.
In its latest crop report, ABARES says Australian winter crop production is forecast to be around 35.1 MMT in 2012–13, which is 23% lower than last year’s record harvest and marginally lower (1.1 MMT or 3%) than the forecast released by ABARES in September. Winter crop production will still be around 14% higher than the average achieved over the five years to 2010–11.
For the major winter crops, wheat production is forecast to fall by 26% to around 22 MMT in 2012–13; barley production to fall by 18% to around 6.9 MMT; and canola production to fall by 16% to around 2.6 MMT.
Total summer crop production is forecast to remain largely unchanged from last season at around 5.5 MMT.
