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Sydney (AFP) Dec 7, 2010 Australia is set to post record winter crops despite flood rains and locust plagues in the country's east and a dry spell in the west, the national forecaster said Tuesday. The country's overall winter crop production is forecast to rise 22 percent from last season to 43.2 million tonnes, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Science (ABARES) said. "Despite the adverse effect of the recent rain in eastern Australia on the quality of winter crops, it is forecast that record yields will still be achieved in most of the eastern grains belt," it said. "The most significant rise in production is expected in New South Wales, where the 2010-11 winter crop production is forecast to more than double to 17.1 million tonnes because of record crop yield." Wheat production in Australia, a major exporter of the grain, is estimated to hit a record 26.8 million tonnes in 2010-11 -- 22 percent higher than in 2009-10, it said. Barley production is forecast to grow 24 percent to 9.8 million tonnes and canola output will increase about seven percent on last year to two million tonnes, as the southeast emerges from a decade-long drought. The bureau said farmers were off to the best possible start with the wettest spring on record but heavy rainfall at the start of summer -- which flooded parts of the country's east -- would impact the harvest. The bumper production was forecast even though the rains had reduced the quality of some grain crops, meaning some will now only be used as stock feed and others will not be harvested at all, it said. Winter crop production in western Australia is also expected to be lower -- forecast at less than half of last season's crops -- due to a prolonged dry spell in that region. Meanwhile a locust plague on track to become the country's worst in 75 years to affect the southeastern state of Victoria has not posed a serious risk to crops but remained a threat because of the delayed harvest, ABARES said. Looking ahead, the heavy rains have provided a strong outlook for summer crops in 2010-11 -- with production forecast to rise 60 percent to 4.6 million tonnes.
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