Australia: Big Crop Shifts

Avatar for Matt Hopkins By Scott C. Lucas|1 October 2007

The rice area is forecast to drop by 62.5% to 6,000 Ha, the smallest area for many decades — Australia’s five-year average for rice plantings is 81,000 Ha. Cotton, likewise, is expected to fall by 56% to 63,000 Ha, compared with a five-year average of 298,000 Ha. The 45,000 Ha expected to be planted in New South Wales would be the smallest cotton area for 30 years, ABARE reports.

Sorghum plantings are expected to increase by 66.5% to 761,000 Ha, which is higher than the five-year average of 750,000 Ha. The sorghum area in Queensland is set to rise by 68% to 505,000 Ha.