Seasonal factors and outlook decrease 2006/07 production
29 Sep '06
2 min read
A lack of late winter and early spring rain across eastern Australia, combined with the prospect of below average rainfall through to the end of December, has resulted in a significant downward revision to Australian wool production in 2006/07.
In the latest figures released today by the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) Production Forecasting Committee, the forecast for Australian shorn wool production in the 2006/07 season is 434 million kilograms (mkg), 6 percent lower on the previous season. The new forecast is 22 mkg lower than the committee's previous forecast in July 2006.
Committee Chairman Dr David James said the current forecast for the 2006/07 season reflects that for many of the major wool producing areas across Australia, current seasonal conditions are significantly worse than for the same time last year.
“The season has been disappointing in terms of average rainfall in the last two months across the eastern seaboard,” Dr James said.
“According to the Bureau of Meteorology, August 2006 was the driest August for average rainfall across Australia in the historical record from 1900.”
Dr David James said compounding this in several important wool growing areas in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania was very little rain in September, a key month for Spring pasture growth.
“Other factors were also taken into account when revising the forecast,” he said.
“A moderate shift in the probability towards drier than normal conditions for the December quarter (October-December) in parts of southeast Australia and low on-farm stocks of grain in certain regions and high grain and hay prices, are all likely to limit the ability for some farms to maintain current sheep numbers through to next winter.”
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