It’s Official – Australia’s 2020-21 Wheat Crop the Largest on Record

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) recently released its February 2021 crop report, which announced that Australia’s wheat production for 2020-21 was the largest on record. National wheat production was increased by 2.1 million tonnes from the previous estimates to a record 33.3 million tonnes, beating the 31.8 million tonne harvest in 2016-17. More locally, NSW wheat production was 13.1 million tonnes, which was well over the 2016-17 state record in 2016-17 of 9.8 million tonnes.

While the ability to make additional overseas sales is somewhat hampered by transport and storge facility shortages, exporters say that there is strong Asian interest in buying Australian wheat. There are also reports that the domestic market is strong.

ABARES predicts that this year’s winter crop production in New South Wales is estimated to rise to a record high 18.7 million tonnes in 2020–21, 88 per cent above the 10-year average to 2019-20. This new estimate is 6.2 per cent higher than the forecast ABARES published in the December 2020 edition of the Australian crop report. The area planted to winter crops is estimated to be just over 6 million hectares, 14 per cent above the 10-year average to 2019-20. Here’s hoping that our winter 2021 in no way resembles the wintery conditions currently seen in Texas.

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• Agriculture
• Rural Roundup