February 1, 2007

Australia's December grain stocks rise 7.9 percent amid harvest

Total grain held in storage facilities operated by Australia's major bulk grain handling companies rose 7.9 percent on-month in December to 16.3 million tonnes, the government's Bureau of Statistics reported Thursday.

Stocks of wheat rose 12 percent in the month to 11.4 million tonnes, barley stocks were barely changed, holding about 3.4 million tonnes, while others including oats, triticale, sorghum, pulses and oilseeds slipped a little to 1.4 million tonnes in December, it reported.

Grain stocks usually rise in November and December, the main harvest period.

The bureau restarted this data series about two months ago and does not issue year-earlier figures or comment on them.

This data series commenced in 2002, following concerns about the lack of information on the quantity of grain stored across Australia during the drought of that year, and was done monthly and quarterly until December 2004, when it was halted as concerns lessened following increased production after the drought ended.

It has been revived in response to concerns regarding feed grain availability during the current drought.

The collection does not measure the total grain held in Australia, with regional or small storage operators not represented in these statistics.