Agribusiness & Food

Solid year predicted for NSW grain

Grain. Photo: Ingram Publishing

Consistent and well-spread rainfall events so far this season should see at least an average season for New South Wales grain growers, with above average crops expected in many areas.

Peter Matthews, with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, told ABC News this week solid rainfall across the key grain state would mean at least an average – and in many places an above average – year could be all but guaranteed for most growers.

“A lot of growers were quite pleased,” Matthews told ABC News.

Concerns remain in some areas of NSW, but with another rain front due this week, the hope is the areas still in need of rain will get that in time.

“We’ve been having these [fronts] turn over every seven to ten days, which is really good,” he explained.

“Everything’s indicating for an average season across the state, and I’d say probably a third of the state’s going to be above average, the way the rainfall has been coming in.

“We’ve got some really good crops, because we’ve had some really good rainfall in that south eastern area.”

Canola is set to be a top performer this season, with Matthews predicting a strong year for the crop.

It’s not all good news though, with a few hail events destroying some crops, and Matthews noted: “We’ve got areas that have actually had too much rainfall so it’s actually slowing things down.”

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