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Australian grain production hits all-time high: report

Xinhua, February 15, 2017 Adjust font size:

Australia's grain production has hit an all-time high thanks to bumper rainfall in winter and spring.

A report released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) on Wednesday said the winter harvest crop reached unprecedented levels, with all mainland states set to achieve record highs.

The report estimated that the winter crop production increased 49 percent in 2016-17 to 58.9 million tons, with Victoria faring particularly well after two tough years for the state's grain growers.

"Total winter crop production in Victoria is estimated to have more than doubled... to 10.2 million tons," the report said, meaning Victoria smashed its previous record total of 7.6 million tons.

Tim Hill, a grain farmer in northern Victoria, said the bumper crop meant he made a profit despite depressed grain prices globally.

"2015 was probably one of our driest years on record, and then 2016 turned out to be one of the wettest growing seasons on record," Hill told Fairfax Media on Wednesday.

"So we had a complete turn-around in the two years. We ended up having a really good year."

"On average across our farm, we probably were over our averages by two tonnes a hectare in our wheat. And we were probably up to a tonne above our average in canola."

While rainfall was the key factor in the harvest, Hill said a cooler-than-average spring helped crops finish.

In addition to the huge wheat harvest, farmers also harvested 13.4 million tons of barley, a rise of 56.1 percent on 2015-16.

Peter Collins, a senior economist at ABARES, said it was unusual for every mainland grain-growing state to have a good season at the same time.

"It's just been pretty good in all the major crop-producing areas over the whole season," Collins said.

"Quite often we see, say Western Australia have a good year and (there's) not such a good year on the east coast. And vice versa, sometimes there's a good year in the eastern states which includes South Australia, and not such a good year in the west. So to have it all this good, at one time, is unusual." Endit