The high variability in river flow and annual rainfall, which are features of the Australian environment, means that successful ongoing production of many crops and pastures is dependent on irrigation.
Rice is only grown in areas that can guarantee an adequate supply of irrigation water. Cotton, vegetables for human consumption, fruit (including nuts and grapes) and sugar cane are the other most intensively irrigated crops, with 91%, 84%, 79% and 43% respectively of their total growing areas being irrigated in 2002. However, the total area of land irrigated, about 2.5 million ha in 2002 (table 14.3), represents less than 1% of the total land used for agriculture.
Most irrigated land is located within the confines of the Murray-Darling Basin, which covers parts of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
14.3 AREA OF CROPS AND PASTURES IRRIGATED - 2001-02
|
 | | NSW | Vic. | Qld | SA | WA | Tas. | NT | ACT | Aust. |
| | ’000 ha | ’000 ha | ’000 ha | ’000 ha | ’000 ha | ’000 ha | ’000 ha | ’000 ha | ’000 ha |
|
| Pastures (native or sown) | 330 | 478 | 63 | 61 | ^11 | 29 | 4 | - | 976 |
| Cereals | | | | | | | | | |
| Rice | 143 | ^2 | ** | (a) | - | (a) | - | - | 145 |
| Other cereals | 290 | ^33 | ^52 | (a) | ^- | (a) | - | - | 376 |
| Total | 434 | ^35 | ^53 | ^5 | - | ^2 | - | - | 528 |
| Cotton | ^290 | - | 127 | - | - | - | - | - | 418 |
| Sugar cane cut for crushing | ** | - | 233 | - | 4 | - | - | - | 237 |
| Vegetables for human consumption | 17 | 26 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 17 | - | - | 110 |
| Fruit (incl. nuts) | 28 | 24 | 32 | 19 | 6 | ^4 | 3 | - | 116 |
| Grapevines | 29 | 35 | ^2 | 61 | ^7 | *1 | - | - | 137 |
| All other crops | ^26 | 8 | ^20 | ^10 | 3 | 14 | - | - | 81 |
| Total | 1,126 | 588 | 541 | 174 | 39 | 68 | 8 | - | 2,545 |
|
| (a) Data not separately collected but included in Total cereals. |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| Source: Agricultural Commodities, Australia, 2001-02 (7121.0). |
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