July 18, 2012
Australia's rapeseed crop estimates revise down
From a month ago, Australia's AUD2 billion (US$2.06) rapeseed crop forecast has been revised down, and if achieved, will fall short of record production last crop year, the Australian Oilseeds Federation said Tuesday (July 17).
Rapeseed production this crop year now is forecast at 3.05 million tonnes, down 4.7% from a June estimate and down 4.4% from an actual 3.19 million tonnes last crop year ended March 31.
"Good falls of rain in the past week have served to provide much needed topsoil moisture across many of the country's rapeseed growing regions. However, in some areas, it was too late, and no emergence or poor emergence [of the new crop] in some areas has led to paddocks being re-sown to cereals," the federation said in a monthly crop report.
Australia's rapeseed is grown in the same south western and south eastern areas of the country as wheat, barley and other winter crops.
The drier start and the emerging prospect of a return to an El Nino climate event later in the year are adding an element of caution to projections, it said.
Australia consumes 700,000-800,000 tonnes of rapeseed annually, exporting the rest, mostly to Europe for biofuel production.