Late rains good news for growers
QUEENSLAND growers should plant a smile on their faces with late summer rains delivering good news for those about to sow their winter crops and harvest their summer varieties.
The Federal Government's Australian Crop Report found the total amount of winter crops planted this year would likely fall by 2% next financial year.
Meanwhile, the total area of winter crops to be planted in Queensland was going to grow in size overall, dragged up by the massive expansion of chickpea farming.
The amount of space in the state dedicated to the legume would increase by more than 180% in the next financial year to more than 205,000 hectares.
High prices and a variety largely immune to disease have made chickpeas particularly palatable to growers.
However, the area used for growing barley and wheat will shrink by between 5% and 6% as both markets are struck by lower sale prices.
There is good news for summer crops, with cotton lint and grain sorghum forecast to have higher production this financial year.
Cotton production is forecast to increase by 26% this financial year with grain sorghum going up by 34%.
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics acting executive director Kim Ritman said parts of Queensland may have been affected by flooding earlier this year, the effect on summer crop harvests was expected to be small.
