Rain aids Australian wheat sowing despite El Nino risks
Recent rain aids Australian wheat sowing but El Nino risks remain. Output is forecast at 26.7 million tons as high costs and dry weather impact total yields.
Australia farmers are increasing late wheat sowing following recent rainfall across parched eastern and southern cropping regions. The government expects production to fall 9 million tons year-over-year to 26.7 million tons, the lowest level in three years. As the world's third-biggest wheat exporter, Australia faces yield risks from a dry El Nino pattern that threatens to offset these early moisture gains.
### Rain Triggers Late Sowing Flurry Recent precipitation soaked dry soils in New South Wales and Queensland, allowing growers to plant seeds that were previously withheld. Rabobank analyst Vitor Pistoia said the rain likely adds 500,000 hectares to the planting area in these two states. This shift could lift regional production by 2 million tons.
