Aussie farmers report "once in lifetime" crop yields in bumper agricultural year

Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-21 14:41:43|Editor: Chengcheng
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CANBERRA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Australian agriculture experienced a bumper year in 2016-17, according to data released on Monday, recording a 9 percent increase in value to 45.8 billion U.S. dollars.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the figures which showed near-record yields in broadacre crops, such as wheat, canola and barley, and also in sugarcane.

Many farmers reported crop yields being at "once in a lifetime" levels, with records broken in most states for key commodities.

Compared to the previous year, 2015-16, the value of wheat grew by 19 percent to 5.5 billion U.S. dollars, with production up by 43 percent.

The value of barley rose by 17 percent to 2.03 billion U.S. dollars with production up by half on the previous year. The value of canola, meanwhile, rose by 63 percent to 1.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Sugarcane was another star performer, according to the ABS. "Strong export demand and good prices for sugar" resulted in an increase in value of 27 percent to 1.22 billion U.S. dollars in 2016-17.

ABS Director of Environment and Agriculture Statistics Lauren Binns said on Monday the data confirmed that 2016-17 was a good year for agriculture with above average yields and record production for many broadacre crops.

"Total crop values in 2016-17 rose by one fifth compared with the previous year, while total livestock values were steady overall," Binns said.

Results were more mixed for livestock. The value of livestock products was largely steady with a strong result for wool, up 17 percent to 2.6 billion U.S. dollars, offsetting falls in milk, which was down 14 percent to 2.7 billion U.S. dollars.

Declines in the value of livestock disposals were largely due to re-stocking. For example, the beef cattle herd in Australia increased 6 percent to 23.6 million head in 2016-17 compared with the previous year, although there was a continuing decline in the dairy herd, which went down 2 percent to 2.6 million head.

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