April 29, 2004

 

 

Australian Wheat Crop Output Up 10%

 

Wheat production in Australia could reach a record 27.5 million metric tons this crop year, said Brian Bailey, head of private forecasting concern Australian Wheat Forecasters Pty.

 

If the forecast is achieved, output will be around 10% higher than the 24.9 million tons produced last crop year ended March 31, 2004.

 

Bailey said the high output achieved last crop year could be bettered this year even though southern and western growing areas are still waiting for planting rains.

 

"It isn't an early season in southern Australia, but it's certainly by no means late at this stage," he said in an interview on Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s Country Hour program Thursday.

 

"The 27.5 (million ton figure) is perfectly achievable with the amount of fertilizers, the technology, that people are applying to cropping today," he said.

 

The potential for increased production comes as growers continue to move away from using land for sheep to produce wool, and growing conditions improve in Queensland and New South Wales.

 

A month ago, Andrew Lindberg, managing director of monopoly wheat exporter AWB Ltd., said wheat production from the new crop to be planted mostly in May and June could exceed 25 million tons.

 

He cited an expansion of the area planted to wheat this crop year, in part as a result of further destocking of animals from available cropping land.

 

Bailey was commenting after Richard Routley, an agronomist at Queensland's Primary Industries department, said widespread heavy rain across winter cropping regions in northern New South Wales and Queensland states provided ideal crop planting conditions.

 

The government's Bureau of Meteorology has reported some centers in these states receiving over 100 millimeters of rain in a 24-hour period, with many areas in Queensland receiving more than 100 mm over two days.

 

"It's pretty well ideal in terms of timing and amount for a good winter crop planting, after the good rain we had earlier in the year," Routley said in an interview on Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.