Drought slashes Australian wheat crop

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2007

SYDNEY (AFP) — Australia's wheat, barley and canola winter crops were again revised lower Tuesday due to the severity of the long-running drought, the country's official forecaster said.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics said the winter wheat crop for 2007/08 would drop from the September estimate of 15.5 million tonnes to 12.1 tonnes due to a lack of drenching rains.

Barley would fall from a projected 5.9 million tonnes to 5.0 million tonnes and canola drop from 1.1 million tonnes to 900,000 tonnes, it said.

The bureau said rainfall during the crucial September to October period had been well below average in the country's main grain-growing regions, with some areas of New South Wales recording their lowest ever levels for those...