Production from Australian winter crops is expected to be up by 53 per cent on the previous year, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences
Australia will produce 53 per cent more in its winter crops, such as wheat, barley and chickpeas, than it did last year, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) predicts.
In ABARES’ June 2020 Australian crop report, the bureau says the amount of land planted has jumped 23 per cent this year for the 2020-21 season.
Wheat production is forecast to increase by 76 per cent to 26.7 million tonnes, barley is forecast to increase by 17 per cent to 10.6 million tonnes and canola production is forecast to increase by 40 per cent to 3.2 million tonnes.
Wheat prices will also likely remain high, Rabobank predicted earlier this year
Among other crops, chickpeas production is forecast to increase by 135 per cent to 661,000 tonnes and oats production is forecast to increase by 81 per cent to 1.6 million tonnes.
ABARES acting executive director Peter Gooday says the season has gotten off to a good start, particularly in South Australia and the Eastern States.
“Winter crop production is forecast be to be 44.5 million tonnes in 2020–21, which is 11 per cent above the 10-year average to 2019–20,” Gooday says.
“Yield prospects in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are forecast to be above average given favourable levels of soil moisture at the beginning of June and the likelihood of above average rainfall in July.”
Yields in Western Australia are expected to be around average, assuming average and timely rainfall starting in July and continuing through spring – with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting June rainfall will be below average.
ABARES says 22.5 million hectares of winter crops will be planted across Australia in 2020-21, which is five per cent above the 10-year average to 2019–20 of 21.4 million hectares.
“The majority of this increase is expected to be in New South Wales, where seasonal conditions so far are much more favourable than during the last two winter crop seasons,” Gooday says.
For the major winter crops, area planted to wheat is forecast to increase by 27 per cent to almost 13 million hectares, eight per cent above the 10-year average to 2019–20 of 12 million hectares.
Area planted to barley is forecast to increase by eight per cent to almost 4.4 million hectares, also eight per cent above the 10-year average to 2019–20.
“Falls in barley prices in early May occurred in the midst of planting but did not significantly change planting intentions in the eastern states with many producers maintaining planned crop rotations,” Gooday says.