NSW winter crops like this wheat at Terry Hie Hie in the state’s north have enjoyed an excellent start. Photo: CHS Broadbent
AUSTRALIA is forecast to produce 26.7 million tonnes (Mt) of wheat, 10.6Mt of barley and 3.2Mt of canola from the crop just planted, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences’ (ABARES) Australian crop report – June 2020 released today.
All three figures are well up on 2019-20 production, with the turnaround in the New South Wales season from drought last year to recovery this year being a major contributor.
NSW wheat area is estimated to have almost doubled, while its barley area is up 55 per cent, and canola area has more than tripled when compared with last year.
Wheat and barley areas in Victoria are up slightly, while wheat hectares in the major exporting states of South Australia and Western Australia have risen slightly at the expense of barley.
Despite dryness in parts of the grainbelt in Queensland, its barley area is estimated to have more than tripled, and its wheat area has more than doubled.
Tables below refer to crops planted in the year to 31 March.
| WHEAT | 5yr avg to 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 estimate |
| Qld | 885,000 | 420,000 | 420,000 | 1,400,000 |
| NSW | 5,072,000 | 1,850,000 | 2,090,000 | 8,288,000 |
| Vic | 3,208,000 | 2,277,000 | 3,600,000 | 3,831,000 |
| Tas | 49,000 | 40,000 | 55,000 | 55,000 |
| SA | 4,018,000 | 3,025,000 | 3,200,000 | 4,500,000 |
| WA | 8,327,000 | 9,979,000 | 5,800,000 | 8,600,000 |
| TOTAL TONNES | 21,559,000 | 17,591,000 | 15,165,000 | 26,674,000 |
Table 1: Tonnes of wheat produced in all Australian states. Source: ABARES
| WHEAT | 5yr avg to 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 estimate |
| Qld | 538,000 | 420,000 | 400,000 | 900,000 |
| NSW | 2,651,000 | 2,382,000 | 1,900,000 | 3,700,000 |
| Vic | 1,419,000 | 1,403,000 | 1,450,000 | 1,575,000 |
| Tas | 9,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| SA | 1,939,000 | 1,821,000 | 1,950,000 | 2,050,000 |
| WA | 4,444,000 | 4,369,000 | 4,500,000 | 4,750,000 |
| TOTAL HECTARES | 11,000,000 | 10,403,000 | 10,210,000 | 12,985,000 |
Table 2: Hectares of wheat planted in all Australian states. Source: ABARES
| BARLEY | 5yr avg to 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 estimate |
| Qld | 238,000 | 132,000 | 60,000 | 280,000 |
| NSW | 1,654,000 | 909,000 | 696,000 | 2,034,000 |
| Vic | 2,027,000 | 1,337,000 | 2,500,000 | 2,213,000 |
| Tas | 28,000 | 28,000 | 45,000 | 32,000 |
| SA | 2,009,000 | 1,615,000 | 1,850,000 | 2,100,000 |
| WA | 3,958,000 | 4,798,000 | 3,850,000 | 3,900,000 |
| TOTAL TONNES | 9,914,000 | 8,819,000 | 9,001,000 | 10,559,000 |
Table 3: Tonnes of barley produced in all Australian states: Source: ABARES
| BARLEY | 5yr avg to 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 estimate |
| Qld | 107,000 | 99,000 | 45,000 | 140,000 |
| NSW | 807,000 | 668,000 | 580,000 | 900,000 |
| Vic | 869,000 | 893,000 | 820,000 | 870,000 |
| Tas | 7,000 | 6,000 | 10,000 | 7,000 |
| SA | 869,000 | 873,000 | 845,000 | 840,000 |
| WA | 1,651,000 | 1,897,000 | 1,750,000 | 1,600,000 |
| TOTAL HECTARES | 4,310,000 | 4,436,000 | 4,050,000 | 4,357,000 |
Table 4: Hectares of barley planted in all Australian states. Source: ABARES
| CANOLA | 5yr avg to 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 estimate |
| Qld | 1,000 | 0 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| NSW | 713,000 | 263,000 | 225,000 | 803,000 |
| Vic | 604,000 | 511,000 | 650,000 | 712,000 |
| Tas | 3,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 2,000 |
| SA | 296,000 | 243,000 | 300,000 | 330,000 |
| WA | 1,519,000 | 1,346,000 | 1,150,000 | 1,400,000 |
| TOTAL TONNES | 3,136,000 | 2,366,000 | 2,329,000 | 3,248,000 |
Table 5: Tonnes of canola produced in all Australian states: Source: ABARES
| CANOLA | 5yr avg to 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 estimate |
| Qld | 1,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| NSW | 574,000 | 405,000 | 250,000 | 550,000 |
| Vic | 389,000 | 414,000 | 385,000 | 450,000 |
| Tas | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| SA | 199,000 | 169,000 | 220,000 | 225,000 |
| WA | 1,211,000 | 1,129,000 | 950,000 | 1,150,000 |
| TOTAL HECTARES | 2,375,000 | 2,119,000 | 1,808,000 | 2,378,000 |
Table 6: Hectares of canola planted in all Australian states. Source: ABARES
Source: ABARES
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