Australian wool production forecast 2020/21 looks good for producers
Ongoing favourable seasonal conditions are expected to extend into the new season. See what it will mean for the industry.
Wool production is forecast to increase off the back of a banger of a season for wool growers.
The Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee’s latest report, released today, put wool production for 2020/21 at 290mkg greasy; a 2.1 per cent lift on the 284mkg in 2019/20.
According to the report, ongoing favourable seasonal conditions are expected to “extend into the new season”, boosting average cut per head for producers.
But lower sheep numbers could drag down shorn wool production in the short term, the report states.
Committee chairman Russell Pattinson said off the back of good conditions, “wool producers intend to rebuild their ewe numbers in many key wool producing regions by retaining more replacement and older ewes than normal”.
The report forecast the number of shorn sheep this season to fall 4.5 per cent to a total of 65.5 million.
And while sheep shorn numbers in Western Australia, Queensland, NSW and South Australia were flagged to fall, Victorian and Tasmanian numbers were forecast to rise this season.
A significant number of breeding ewes have been transferred interstate from Western Australia, according to the report.
The average wool cut per head is forecast to increase by 7.2 per cent to 4.43kg greasy for the 2020/21 season.
The committees from both state and national levels will meet next week in August.
The full forecast report will be available via AWI on May 12, 2021.
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