Fed: Sorghum crop tipped to soar 80pc to record high, rice down 90pc

AAP General News (Australia)
02-19-2008
Fed: Sorghum crop tipped to soar 80pc to record high, rice down 90pc

Australia's sorghum crop is tipped to soar by 80 per cent to a record 2.5 million tonnes
in 2007-08.

But rice crops will be down a massive 90 per cent .. and cotton by 58 per cnet according
to the nation's chief commodities forecaster.

The sorghum boom follows average to above-average rain since October last year in parts
of Queensland and northern NSW.

PHILLIP GLYDE from Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics says recent
floods around Emerald damaged some of the sorghum crop.

But he says the increased yield in the southern regions will more than offset the losses.

ABARE's February report says the total summer crop should climb by almost 40 per cent
to 3.2 million tonnes .. well short of the record 5.3 million tonnes in 2000-01.

AAP RTV mj/rl/jec/bart

KEYWORD: ABARE (CANBERRA)

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