May 1, 2007

Australian grain stocks falls 11 percent on-month in March

Total grain held in storage facilities operated by Australias major bulk grain handling companies fell 11 percent on month in March to 11.59 million tonnes, the government's Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday.

Stocks of wheat fell 11 percent on month to 8.03 million tonnes, barley stocks shed 15 percent to 2.38 million tonnes, while others including oats, triticale, sorghum, pulses and oilseeds slipped 5.6 percent to a total of 1.17 million tonnes, it reported.

Stocks of winter grains typically rise during the harvest late in the calendar year to peak in December then decline steadily through the year on the back of exports and domestic use.

The bureau restarted this data series in late spring. It 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 was revived in response to concerns regarding availability of grain after serious drought in 2006.