Drought-affected farmers won’t be able to reap all they sowed this season, with a significant drop in summer crop production forecast.
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Low rainfall and heatwave conditions in major crop planting areas are expected to lead to a 25 per cent drop in summer production, data from Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) shows.
Cotton, rice and grain sorghum production are all expected to drop in 2013/14.
ABARES executive director Karen Schneider said poor seasonal conditions had reduced the total summer crop planting area by 15 per cent.
The decline followed a strong winter crop season which saw production jump 17 per cent, largely driven by conditions and production in Western Australia and South Australia.
But regional variation means that many areas in Queensland and northern NSW face declining production across both seasons in 2013/14, Ms Schneider said in a statement.
AAP
