PERTH (Reuters) — Western Australia’s wheat production is set to rise 25 percent in the 2013-14 year, with rains last month likely to boost output, CBH Group, the state’s largest grain handler said on Wednesday.
The state, Australia’s biggest exporter of wheat, despite having the driest June on record will produce 7.5 million tonnes of the grain, up from around six million tonnes last year.
“In the last month, we’ve had very good rainfall and our crop forecast has improved dramatically,” said Tom Puddy, head of marketing at CBH Group.
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“I would say that the recent rainfall has probably increased the yield potential by 15 to 20 percent,” he said.
The 2013-14 production outlook is vastly improved from the small crop seen in 2012-13, but is in line with the state’s 10-year average, Puddy said.
Puddy also said Western Australia will export seven million tonnes of its wheat crop for the 2013-14 crop.
CBH sees Australia’s total production at around 25 to 25.5 million tonnes, and exports at around 18 million tonnes.
The Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics forecast 2013-14 wheat production at 25.399 million tonnes in June, up 15 percent from last year’s 22.077 million tonnes.
