Australia: Grain and Feed Update
Over late 2014, prospects for Australian winter grains crops worsened as a result of continued dry weather. Both yields and the volume of production were affected. In 2015, wheat production is expected to fall to 23.2 million tons with exports forecast to decline to 18.1 million tons. Barley production is forecast to decline by around one fifth to 7.4 million tons, as some growers shift acreage out of barley and into wheat and canola. The outlook for summer crops depends on continued rainfall and water availability. In 2015, sorghum production is forecast at 1.3 million tons, 21 per cent above the previous year, with acreage planted up 8 percent. Australia’s rice crop is expected to decline to 710,000 tons, around 15 per cent below the previous year, due to adverse weather and limits on water supply.
