Getreide Cockpit, 13.09.2019

In Australia the weather conditions for the winter crops 2019/20 were unfavorable. In many regions it was unusually long dry and hot, which partly reached into the sowing window. In winter, too little rain fell, which is why the soil moisture in some countries was below average and affected the plants in their development. Especially in New South Wales and Queensland, winter growth conditions deteriorated significantly. Nevertheless, the Australian Department of Agriculture ABARES expects a harvest increase of 1.4 million t in New South Wales compared to the previous year, a harvest of 3.2 million t. However, this is mainly due to area increases of 0.4 to 2.2 million ha. In Queensland, 460,000 ha of wheat were ordered, 60,000 ha more than in the previous year. Instead of 400,000 tons as in 2018/19, 460,000 tons are to be threshed there. In Victoria, on the other hand, winter growing conditions were mostly favorable, which is why most of the field crops were in good to excellent condition at the beginning of spring. There, the acreage increased by 0.2 to 1.6 million ha. Production is expected to grow to 3.6 million tonnes, exceeding the previous year's result by 1.7 million tonnes.In South Australia, the weather conditions in the large southern growing areas and in the middle north were favorable, as there were sufficient precipitation. In the northern producing regions of South Australia, however, the harvest prospects are below average. Due to the planned harvest increase in the southern regions and the increase in area from 0.2 to 2 million ha, ABARES sees there a total harvest of 3.8 million t, which exceeds the previous year's result by 0.8 million t. In contrast, Western Australia, the country's largest wheat producer, is expected to slash harvests by 2.1 to 8 million tonnes. There, the below-average precipitation in winter and the late end of the summer season had most cultures develop late. In Australia, a total of 19.1 million tonnes of wheat is expected to be harvested, around 1.8 million tonnes above the previous year's level, but 2.1 million tonnes below the June estimate. The reason for the increase in production compared to the previous year is the area expansion by 0.6 to 10.8 million ha.