Glacier FarmMedia — Australia’s winter harvest has wrapped up, with wheat and canola production beating earlier forecasts but still down on the year, according to the latest crop report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).
Total 2023/24 winter crop production in Australia, at an estimated 46.7 million tonnes, was up from the December estimate of 46.1 million tonnes but still 32 per cent off the record highs hit last year.
Australia’s 2023/24 wheat crop was projected to be 26.0 million tonnes by ABARES, up by 500,000 from the December forecast but 37 per cent lower on the year.
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The quality profile of the national wheat crop was mixed with a higher proportion of wheat making high protein grades compared to the three previous La Niña years, particularly in Western Australia and South Australia, according to the report. However, wheat in Victoria and parts of New South Wales was heavily weighted to the lower protein Australian Standard White grade, with some quality downgrades due to wet harvest conditions.
Total canola production in Australia is now forecast at 5.7 million tonnes, which would be up by 200,000 tonnes from the December estimate, but 31 per cent below last year’s record crop.
Barley production is forecast at 10.8 million tonnes, which would be down 24 per cent on the year and four per cent below the 10-year average.
— Phil Franz-Warkentin is an associate editor/analyst with MarketsFarm in Winnipeg.
