Rains bring some relief to drought-hit farmers in Australia’s east coast

SYDNEY: Australia’s east coast received some respite from drought yesterday after the heaviest showers in weeks, but analysts warned any relief would be temporary without heavier rains.

Nearly half of the state of New South Wales – one of country’s biggest agricultural producing regions – received around 10mm of rain early yesterday, data from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology showed.

The showers are a welcome boost for farmers and graziers in the state, 99 per cent of which is in drought. Much of New South Wales received just 10 mm over the whole of July.

“Any rain is good rain. It will encourage a bit of pasture growth for livestock producers but without follow-up showers, the impact will be temporary,” said Phin Ziebell, an agribusiness economist at the National Australia Bank. — Reuters