November 29, 2011

Good weather boosts Western Australia's wheat crop

The yearly harvest of Western Australia's winter grains, including wheat, is increasing due to increasingly favourable weather conditions, Cooperative Bulk Handling Ltd. (CBH) said in a weekly harvest report issued Monday (Nov 28).

Receivals of winter grains into CBH's network of 200 upcountry storage sites and four coastal export terminals now totals more than five million tonnes, almost two-fifths of an expected 12.5 million to 13 million tonnes in the crop year ending March 31, CBH reported.

If realized, this will be the second-largest volume after the 14.7 million-tonne record delivered in 2003-04. CBH dominates storage and handling in the state.

Many of CBH's storage sites are breaking daily grain receival records, with CBH reporting growers are harvesting "exceptional crops" in the northern Geraldton port zone while yields in the central Kwinana port zone are consistently higher than predicted by growers and CBH.

High moisture levels and harvest bans have hampered progress in the southern Albany port zone, where wheat is showing indications of sprouting and yields are better than expected, while high moisture is also a problem in the southeast Esperance port zone, CBH reported.

Industry estimates suggest deliveries to CBH account for about 90% of state grain production, with the rest stored on farm or sold directly to users.