December 12, 2007

 

Australia's graincorp says rain to boost summer sorghum crop

 

 

Widespread rains over Australia's major summer cropping areas in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland will provide a timely boost for sorghum - the major summer feedgrain, GrainCorp Ltd. reported on Wednesday (December 12, 2007).

 

Crops in these areas are looking "great" ahead of harvesting starting in some districts in only a month, said Managing Director Tome Keene.

 

"We haven't seen a crop this good in more than five years, and our people on the ground tell us yields and plantings will be strong," he said.

 

Further north in central Queensland, large plantings of sorghum are expected in January and February, with harvesting through to May, he said.

 

Given the difficult growing conditions for the 2007 winter crops, a successful summer cropping season will provide a boost to farmers and the company, he said.

 

All normal summer cropping areas have received in excess of 125 millimeters of rain and some large areas more than 300 millimeters of rain since Sept. 1, official figures show.

 

GrainCorp's receivals of winter crops have reached 3 million  tonnes, with the harvest all but finished, he said.

 

A good sorghum crop will ensure that total receivals by GrainCorp for this fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2008 will approach 4 million tonnes, compared with an actual 2.3 million tonnes last fiscal year, he said.

 

GrainCorp didn't issue an estimate for sorghum production, with the government's Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics on Dec. 4 forecasting output at 2.00 million tonnes, if achieved, more than double last year's drought-affected yield.

 

A big sorghum crop will moderate user concerns about a domestic shortfall of feedgrains in 2008 and a possible need to import supplies.