South Australia 2010 Winter Crop Production Seen Down 19 Percent

According to South Australia state's Department of Primary Industries and Resources the area given over to winter crop production will fall across the board in the state this season.

Overall winter crop production will fall 19% this year to 6.34 MMT, they say.

Of that, wheat production in the state will fall 13% to 3.5 MMT, whilst barley output will decline even more sharply - down by almost a third to 1.7 MMT. Canola production will also decline, down 10% to 267,300MT, they say.

Drier conditions for the first three weeks of May delayed seeding in many areas, although good falls in late May allowed seeding to resume, with most farmers finished by mid-late June, they add.

Growing season rainfall to date (April-June) is near average throughout most districts, they conclude.

Full report here