The outlook for the 1996 winter wheat and coarse grain crops remains favourable. After an exceptionally good early planting season, the latest official estimate puts the 1996 aggregate winter wheat area at about 11 million hectares, up some 11 percent from the previous year. However, continuing excessive rainfall late in the planting season, made conditions difficult for barley planting and the barley area is estimated to have remained close to the previous year’s level at 3.1 million hectares. Persisting wet conditions are also reported to be stressing young growing crops and hampering fertilizer applications and weed control measures. Based on the planted area estimates, ample soil moisture supplies, and assuming more drier warmer weather arrives soon, Australia’s aggregate wheat crop in 1996 is now forecast at 19 million tons, which would be the second biggest crop on record. However, after the difficult start to the season, output of barley is expected to reach only some 5.3 million tons, compared to 5.5 million tons in 1995.
The recently harvested summer coarse grain crop, mostly sorghum, recovered significantly in 1996 after three years of drought reduced outputs. The 1996 sorghum crop is estimated at 1.6 million tons.