Fed: ABARE sounds warning bell over drought's continuing impact

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Fed: ABARE sounds warning bell over drought's continuing impact

CANBERRA, Dec 2 AAP - The drought will devastate the nation's summer crops after ravagingwinter crops such as wheat, the national forecaster said today.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) said farmers couldexpect rice, cotton and sorghum production to be hit hard.

It also said wheat production would drop below the 10 million tonne level, a fall ofmore than 14 million tonnes on last season.

ABARE executive director Brian Fisher said the nation was facing its worst summer cropsince the drought of 1982/83.

"Overall, the area sown to summer crops is forecast to drop by 41 per cent in 2002/03,with grains production forecast to be down 59 per cent to 2 million tonnes," he said ina statement.

Rice production, centred on the Riverina of southern NSW, is tipped to fall 70 percent to just 380,000 tonnes.

Cotton, which is largely produced in Queensland and northern NSW, is expected to bedown almost 70 per cent to 238,000 tonnes of lint.

ABARE said sorghum, one of the most important feed grains for livestock producers,would also suffer, falling 52 per cent to 855,000 tonnes.

Dr Fisher said the poor summer crop outlook came on top of a terrible winter crop whichwould result in a 21 million tonne drop in production.

Wheat (9.9 million tonnes), barley (3.2 million tonnes) and canola (600,000 tonnes)would all be well down on long-term averages.

NSW would be the hardest hit state, with wheat production there down 75 per cent tojust 2.1 million tonnes.

ABARE said in many cases, farmers had just gone through their driest season in a century.

In some areas, including the upper north of South Australia and the southeast of WesternAustralia, it would be the driest year on record.

The figures come as federal cabinet considers new measures to help struggling farmersget through the drought.

Last week, Prime Minister John Howard made his first visit to drought-hit areas.

AAP sw/tnf/sb

KEYWORD: CROPS LEAD