CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — Australia’s grain production is expected to reflect average output in the 2021-22 marketing year after a strong drought-recovery in the previous year, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Despite favorable conditions around the time of winter planting, the USDA anticipates Australia’s production to be down from the 2020-21 marketing year’s record-breaking wheat crop and barley crop that was the second largest on record.
Australia is projected to produce 27 million tonnes of wheat in the 2021-22 marketing year, a 6.3-million-tonne decrease compared to the previous marketing year of 33.3 million tonnes. Although there is an expected small increase in planted area the USDA anticipates yields to return to normal levels after last year’s record production.
Exports of the commodity are estimated to decline 4 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year to 19 million tonnes based on a decline in production.
The USDA anticipates Australia’s barley production to be 10 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year, 3 million tonnes below the previous year’s output. The reduced forecast is due to an expected decrease in planted area from 4.4 million hectares to 4 million hectares.
Similar to wheat, barley exports are predicted to slip based on a decrease in production. The country is expected to export 4.5 million tonnes of barley in the 2021-22 marketing year, a 2.5-million-tonne decline compared to last year.
Sorghum production is forecast to dip slightly in the 2021-22 marketing year, after making a strong recovery in the previous year following drought challenges.
The USDA estimates sorghum production in the 2021-22 marketing year to dip 100,000 tonnes to 1.4 million tonnes. Exports of the commodity are expected to increase slightly to 800,000 tonnes. The USDA expects the larger 2020-21 and 2021-22 marketing year crops to help replenish stocks and boost exports.
Source: World Grain
MAY
2021
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