Crop update: Australian winter crop on track for bumper yields
As grain harvest progresses through Australia, yield potential is tipped to be strong.
HARVEST yield potential should continue to be strong throughout Australia’s cropping regions, despite some weather disruptions, according to a winter crop harvest report.
The NAB report, released on Monday, indicated the 2020-21 season is on track to deliver a “well above average” winter crop nationally. Although Western Australia will likely be “much closer to average”, the bank reported.
NAB predicts national wheat production to reach 27.6 million tonnes this season. But with La Nina in “full swing” NAB said there was potential for more wet harvest conditions that could affect local yields and quality.
However, things were continuing to look positive nationally. “With some exceptions due to storm damage, growers are generally on track for a very good season in the east and reasonable season in the west, following below-average in-season rainfall in Western Australia,” NAB agribusiness economist Phin Ziebell said.
This month’s Grain Industry of Western Australia (GIWA) crop report said the 2020 harvest in the state was a “stop start affair”.
“Intermittent rainfall events and cool weather over the last few weeks held up harvest operations across the entire Western Australian grainbelt,” GIWA stated.
But canola, barley and lupins were yielding 10 to 20 per cent more than expected, GIWA reported, and wheat was “following the same trend”.
“If this continues as harvest moves south, there will be further upside to total state grain production,” GIWA stated.
Total crop estimates for the state this month are at 13.98 million tonnes, compared with 12. 98 million tonnes last month.
With growers in northern NSW completing harvest and harvest under way for others in the south, NAB state business banking executive, regional and agribusiness northern NSW Khan Horne said grain was “coming off in line with expectations”.
“While there has been some reported damage, overall, we’re very happy to see so many of our clients exceed their physical budgets with harvest this year.”
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