Thursday, 19 March 2015 00:00

Aussie farm outlook brightens

Written by 

Australian farmers are hearing that good times are coming: a top economic researcher predicts farm production will increase 5.3% to about A$54.4 billion next financial year.

 The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) says the gross value of livestock production is expected to rise about 5.6% to A$25.9 billion in 2015–16, after a forecast increase of 5.9% in 2014–15.

The value of crop production is seen rising 5.1% in 2015–16 to A$28.5 billion, after falling 9.6% in 2013–14.

ABARES executive director Karen Schneider told the organisation’s annual Outlook conference in Canberra that the rise in the value of farm production is likely to continue in the medium term.

“In 2019–20, the gross value of Australian farm production is projected to be around A$55.3 billion in 2014-15 dollars, around 9% higher than the five year average to 2013-14,” Schneider says.

A modest rise in Australian farm commodity export earnings is forecast in 2015–16, with total exports of about A$40.5 billion compared with a forecast A$40.3 billion in 2014–15.

Export earners forecast to rise in 2015-16 include wheat (up by 12%), sugar (11%), canola (10%), dairy products (8%) and beef and veal (2%).

Schneider says these increases are expected to be largely offset by forecast falls in export earnings for mutton (39%), cotton (35%), barley (11%) and lamb (8%). “By 2019–20, the value of farm exports is projected to be around A$41.2 billion in 2014–15 dollars, also 9% higher than the average over the five years to 2013–14.”

More like this

Double whammy!

A leading accountant and agribusiness advisor says the present downturn in the rural sector is like no other he's seen in his nearly 60 years in the business.

FTA good for Aussies and for us – Groser

ANYTHING GOOD for Australia is in the long run good for New Zealand. That’s the reaction of Trade Minister Tim Groser to the news that Australia has signed a free trade agreement with China, and to speculation that their FTA with China is better than NZ’s, especially regarding dairy products.

Record profit for Victorian farmers

Dairy farmers in the Australian state of Victoria had a record profitable 2022-23 season, thanks to high milk prices and carefully managed high costs.

Aliens have landed

OPINION: A mutilation mystery is playing out on a remote Central Queensland property in Australia after a number of cows were found dead in inexplicable circumstances.

Featured

Feds make case for rural bank lending probe

Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.

National

Fonterra unveils divestment plan

Fonterra is exploring full or partial divestment options for its global Consumer business, as well as its integrated businesses Fonterra…

Fonterra appoints new CFO

Fonterra has appointed a new chief financial officer, seven months after its last CFO’s shock resignation.

Machinery & Products

GPS in control

In a move that will make harvesting operations easier, particularly in odd-shaped paddocks, Kuhn has announced that GPS section control…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Wrong, again!

OPINION: This old mutt well remembers the wailing, whining and gnashing of teeth by former West Coast MP and Labour…

Reality check

OPINION: Your canine crusader gets a little fed up with the some in media, union hacks, opposition politicians and hard-core…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter