November 7, 2005

 

Rains slow Western Australian winter crops harvest

 

 

Rains continued to delay stripping of winter crops including wheat in Western Australia state, logistics concern Cooperative Bulk Handling Ltd. reported Monday.

 

CBH Operations Manager David Fienberg also said the rains were negatively impacting quality of some grain.

 

However, while the cool weather continued to affect the ability of growers to harvest crops, most of the grain intake into the company's system have been promising from a yield and quality perspective, he said in a statement.

 

The harvest is now trickling into CBH's storage network in all four of its operational zones.

 

CBH reported total intake of grains at 374,055 tonnes to early Monday, up from 121,757 tonnes a week earlier.

 

It estimated total intake from new crops at 12.8 million tonnes, up from an actual 10.6 million tonnes in the previous crop year ending March 31.

 

Peter Scott, a CBH marketing manager in Geraldton zone, said 90,000 tonnes of wheat have been delivered so far and "indications are that quality will be excellent and yields are reported to be average or above."

 

Barley yields in the zone were above average, while yield from some lupin crops have been the highest on record, he said.

 

Nearly all the wheat and barley produced in the state was available for export, making the area a major cereal provider to the global trade.

 

CBH was the only major silo concern operating in the state and its intake figures were a reasonable proxy for state production.