Australia: Australia Grain and Feed Update October 2015
The outlook for winter grains production in Australia has deteriorated because of particularly adverse seasonal conditions, including lower than expected spring rainfall and record temperatures. In 2015/16, wheat production is revised downwards to 24 million metric tons; while barley production is expected to fall slightly to 8.5 million tons. The outlook for summer crops also depends on the changed seasonal outlook. Sorghum production is forecast to decline slightly to two million tonnes but further revisions are possible if the El Niño weather pattern intensifies. Rice production is constrained by water availability in southern Australia, but is slowly expanding in Queensland. The official 2015/16 forecast of 470,000 tonnes of milled rice is unchanged.
