Rains boost Tassie crops

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Tasmanian cereal plantings are up 50 per cent this year, and recent rains are raising harvest hopes in the state's north.

Rob Winter, from Roberts Seed & Grain, says higher prices for wheat and barley are behind the change, and if all goes well the 2009 harvest could top 160,000 tonnes.

"In total, we're looking at this stage at something like a 24,000 to 25,000 hectare winter crop in Tasmania, which is probably about 50 per cent higher than it has been in the last couple of years," he says.

"Of that area, at this stage the majority would certainly be wheat, a little bit of triticale, and the main barley-planting season is yet to come through July and August and September."

Nationally, lamb, sugar and dairy prices rallied strongly last month, even though the rain stayed away across much of Australia.

The latest Rabobank commodity report says sugar prices were up 35 per cent and lamb prices rose by 25 per cent.

But Rabobank says lamb supply shortages could force some processing plants to shut down during winter.

Sourced from ABC Rural.