ABARES: record canola sowing, fourth biggest winter crop

Grain growers have sown a record crop this year, according to the national forecaster in its first estimates of the season. See the numbers.

Australian grain growers have planted the biggest canola crop on record this year.

Persistent high prices for canola has prompted Australian growers to sow their biggest crop of the oilseed on record.

In the first crop report for the new season, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences has forecast canola plantings in 2022-23 at 3.43 million hectares, 12.6 per cent higher than what was sown last year.

But the government forecaster expects production of the oilseed this year to be 5.6 million tonnes, the second largest crop on record behind last harvest’s exceptional result of 6.34 million tonnes.

ABARES has forecast the area sown to winter crops in 2022-23 to be 23.4 million hectares, slightly less than the 23.419 million ha planted last season.

But with heavy May rain in Queensland and large parts of NSW causing waterlogging and in the absence of spring rainfall estimates from the Bureau of Meteorology, the national forecaster has tipped winter crop production at 50.9 million tonnes, the fourth highest on record.

The winter biggest crop of 61.9 million tonnes was harvested last year, followed by 56.7 million tonnes in 2016-17 and 55.8 million tonnes in 2020-21.

“These forecasts assume average seasonal conditions in spring because (the) Bureau of Meteorology outlook for spring is not yet available,” ABARES said.

“High prices of wheat and canola relative to other crops during planting are expected to drive a 1 per cent increase in the national area planted to wheat and a 12 per cent increase in area planted to canola.

“These increases are forecast to come largely at the expense of plantings to barley in most states and chick peas in Queensland and NSW.”

ABARES said summer crop production 2021-22 was expected to set a new record of 5.5 million tonnes.

“This comes as well above average rainfall during autumn contributed to finishing off an excellent summer cropping season in Queensland and northern NSW,” the bureau said.

“This was despite well above average rainfall between February and March, which led to flooding, weather damage, harvest delays and the inundation and loss of some summer crops.”

Canola plantings in Victoria has been forecast to rise 12 per cent this year, to 550,000ha, and wheat by 2 per cent to 1.55 million ha.

The area sown to barley is expected to fall 7 per cent to 790,000ha.

Grain Growers Limited chairman Brett Hosking said he expected more area being sown to canola this year but believed the 12.6 per cent increase in planting area estimated by ABARES was “a whisker high”.

Mr Hosking said there were real challenges for growers to source seed this year.

“But the push into canola is driven by price,” he said

Canola prices have remained at more than $1000 a tonne delivered to Melbourne end user for many months.