Grains

ABARES cuts wheat to 15.2Mt, lifts barley to 8.9Mt

Grain Central, February 18, 2020

Harvesting barley near Esperance in November 2019. Photo: Greg Curnow

ABARES has cut the forecast for Australia’s wheat crop just harvested to 15.165 million tonnes (Mt) in its latest periodic crop report, down 4 per cent from 15.852Mt seen in the previous report released in December.

Area estimates for the national wheat crop are unchanged from the December report at 10.1M hectares.

The reduction in wheat tonnage comes from lower-than-expected yields in parts of New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, and the cutting of some crops for hay due to relatively low yield prospects and strong fodder prices.

ABARES’ estimate for the national barley crop just harvested has risen 2pc to 8.851Mt from 8.672Mt seen in the previous crop report.

A 20,000ha increase in the estimated Victorian barley area to 820,000ha is solely behind the national area estimate rising to 3.95Mha from 3.93Mha seen previously.

In barley production, a 9pc rise to 2.5Mt in the forecast for the Victorian crop, and a 22pc lift for Tasmania, have more than offset a cut to the NSW estimate to 696,000t, down 4pc from the December estimate.

WHEAT 5yr avg to 2018/19 2018/19 Previous estimate for 2019/20 Latest estimate for 2019/20
Qld 994,000 400,000 420,000 420,000
NSW 5,975,000 1,800,000 2,280,000 2,090,000
Vic 2,949,000 1,950,000 3,600,000 3,600,000
Tas 48,000 48,000 52,000 55,000
SA 4,283,000 2,950,000 3,500,000 3,200,000
WA 8,966,000 10,150,000 6,000,000 5,800,000
TOTAL TONNES 23,215,000 17,298,000 15,852,000 15,165,000

Table 1: Tonnes of wheat produced in all Australian states, with actual five-year average to 2018/19 and 2018/19 figures, and previous and revised estimates for 2019/20. Source: ABARES

WHEAT 5yr avg to 2018/19 2018/19 Previous estimate for 2019/20 Latest estimate for 2019/20
Qld 581,000 400,000 400,000 400,000
NSW 2,788,000 1,800,000 1,900,000 1,900,000
Vic 1,427,000 1,400,000 1,450,000 1,450,000
Tas 9,000 9,000 10,000 10,000
SA 1,964,000 1,850,000 1,950,000 1,950,000
WA 4,618,000 4,700,000 4,400,000 4,400,000
TOTAL HECTARES 11,387,000 10,159,000 10,110,000 10,110,000

Table 2: Hectares planted to wheat in all Australian states, with actual five-year average to 2018/19 and 2018/19 figures, and previous and revised estimates for 2019/20. Source: ABARES

BARLEY 5yr avg to 2018/19 2018/19 Previous estimate for 2019/20 Latest estimate for 2019/20
Qld 269,000 95,000 60,000 60,000
NSW 1,833,000 630,000 725,000 696,000
Vic 1,755,000 1,100,000 2,300,000 2,500,000
Tas 23,000 34,000 37,000 45,000
SA 2,012,000 1,535,000 1,850,000 1,850,000
WA 3,850,000 4,916,000 3,700,000 3,700,000
TOTAL TONNES 9,742,000 8,310,000 8,672,000 8,851,000

Table 3: Tonnes of barley produced in all Australian states, with actual five-year average to 2018/19 and 2018/19 figures, and previous and revised estimates for 2019/20. Source: ABARES

BARLEY 5yr avg to 2018/19 2018/19 Previous estimate for 2019/20 Latest estimate for 2019/20
Qld 117,000 70,000 45,000 45,000
NSW 854,000 600,000 580,000 580,000
Vic 864,000 770,000 800,000 820,000
Tas 6,000 9,000 10,000 10,000
SA 857,000 820,000 845,000 845,000
WA 1,473,000 1,450,000 1,650,000 1,650,000
TOTAL HECTARES 4,171,000 3,719,000 3,930,000 3,950,000

Table 4: Hectares planted to barley in all Australian states, with actual five-year average to 2018/19 and 2018/19 figures, and previous and revised estimates for 2019/20. Source: ABARES

Source: ABARES

 

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