Winter crops drop following record season

The winter broadacre crop production sold in 2023-24 fell 27 per cent to 50 million tonnes, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Rob Walter, ABS head of agriculture statistics, said: “After having one of the best seasons on record in 2022-23, the drier conditions across large parts of Australia lead to 27 per cent less winter broadacre crop production being sold nationally and generally lower yields. 

“This drop in production sold drove a 29 per cent drop in value to $18.7 billion.”

Wheat, barley and canola made up 93 per cent of total winter crop production sold and was valued at $16.5 billion. 

There were 28 million tonnes of wheat sold in 2023-24, a 32 per cent fall from 2022-23.

The local value of wheat fell 35 per cent in 2023-24 to $8.8 billion.

Australian winter broadacre crops covered an area of 20.5 million hectares in 2023-24, 3 million hectares less (-13 per cent) than the previous season.

Western Australia’s Esperance region was the largest wheat and canola-producing region in Australia, with more than 1 million tonnes of wheat and 464,000 tonnes of canola grown there in 2023-24.

The Kulin region in Western Australia had the highest total grain production in Australia with more than 2.3 million tonnes and was the leading national producer of barley.

Australia produced 29.9 million tonnes of sugarcane in 2023-24, 2.7 million tonnes less that in 2022-23. Despite this, local value rose by $692 million to $2.2 billion off the back of strong sugar prices. The Burdekin region produced around a quarter of Australia’s total sugarcane in 2023-24 at 7.8 million tonnes.

The ABS and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences – known as ABARES – are working together to modernise the collection of agricultural statistics.

“These new statistics have been produced with existing data sources that have replaced the annual survey, saving Australian farmers 20,000 hours a year on average,” Mr Walter said. 

The new data sources have also allowed the ABS to release the winter broadacre statistics earlier than would usually be possible. Statistics on broadacre summer crops, horticulture and livestock for 2023-24 will be released in May and June.