7501.0 - Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, Preliminary, 2004-05  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/02/2006   
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MEDIA RELEASE

February 3, 2006
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
10/2006

Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia

A fall in wheat, barley and grain prices and production brought down the total value of Australian agricultural production in 2004-05.

Preliminary estimates released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show a fall of 4% in 2004-05 (to $35.6 billion).

Main broadacre crop values fell 13% to $17.8 billion due to lower production and prices with:
  • wheat for grain down 23%. The average price fell 11% and production fell 13%.
  • barley for grain fell 29%. The average price fell 5% and production fell 26%.
  • canola fell 29%. The average price fell 19% and production fell 12%.

Increases in sugar cane (up 17%) and cotton (up 16%) partly offset these falls. The average price of sugar cane rose 12% while production rose 4%. A fall in cotton prices (down 26%) was offset by increased production, which was up by 57% due to good conditions.

Crops falls were partly offset by increases in the value of livestock slaughterings and other disposals (e.g. exports), which was up by 10% to $12 billion, and increases in the value of livestock products, which was up by 3% to $5.7 billion.

The gross value of livestock slaughterings and other disposals was up for:
  • cattle and calves (up 18%) with average prices up 17%
  • poultry (up 2%) with average prices down 2%
  • pigs (up 3%) with average prices up 8%.

However, the gross value of sheep and lambs livestock slaughterings and other disposals fell by 4% with average prices down 8%.

Milk production gross values increased by 14% with the average price up 13% and production up by just under 1%. Wool production gross values fell by 8% due to the average price falling by 10%, however production was up 2%.

Further details are in Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia 2004-05 (cat. no. 7501.0) available free of charge from this web site.