FIELDS OF GLORY REAP BUMPER CROP DESPITE CHALLENGES
AUSTRALIA is on track to harvest a near-record winter grain crop, despite the impact of excessive rainfall in NSW and Victoria.
Rabobank’s 2022-23 Australian Winter Crop Forecast found that despite the weather challenges, the winter crop was expected to come at 61.9 million tonnes.
In the newly released report, the specialist agribusiness bank said the nation was set to harvest its third consecutive bumper winter crop and was forecast to be down only 1 per cent on last year – which broke all-time production records. The total grain crop is estimated to be 41 per cent above the five-year average.
RaboResearch agricultural analyst Dennis Voznesenski said while farmers in some parts of Australia would “reap record or near-record crops”, others in areas across NSW and Victoria were facing “yield, volume and quality downgrades due to excessive rain, washed-out fields and unharvestable crops”.
At the same time, Western Australia and South Australia are set to break production records. Mr Voznesenski said NSW was the hardest hit by excessive rain with the state’s grain and oilseed production expected to come in 28 per cent below last year, at 13.6 million tonnes.
“Depending on the region, only between 75-92 per cent of the state’s planted grains and oilseed hectares will actually be harvested,” he said.
“Crop quality has also been significantly impacted, with even more feed-quality wheat now expected from the state than last year.”
Until the recent flooding events, Victoria’s total winter crop was expected to come in at 11.5 million tonnes, an all-time record exceeding the record 2020-21 season by 17 per cent and up on last year by 26 per cent.
Mr Voznesenski said it was too soon to quantify the impact of heavy rainfall and flooding in recent days in Victoria on the state’s overall production, but there was significant impact to yields on low-lying crops with many under water in central and northern Victoria.
“We are going to have to wait for all the forecast rainfall to come through and for waters to recede to see the full impact of the rains on production,” Mr Voznesenski said.
Queensland is forecast to have a total crop harvest of 2.6 million tonnes for the season, 6 per cent down on the previous year.
Nationally, Rabobank forecasts wheat production to come in at
35.5 million tonnes – 2 per cent down on last year, but 47 per cent above the five-year average. Barley production is expected to reach a record 14.8 million tonnes, up 7 per cent on last season and the canola crop is forecast to hit a record 7.2 million tonnes, also a 7 per cent increase.