2002-03 one of worst on record for farmers, bureau head says
The head of Australia's agricultural forecaster says the current season is turninginto one of the worst on record for the nation's farmers.
BRIAN FISHER, of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, saysthe poor winter crop on top of a bad summer crop is posing problems for growers and livestockindustries.
In its first crop forecast this year, the bureau says the national 2002-03 crop willfall by 15.4 million tonnes this season.
That'll be its lowest level since the drought year of 1982-83.
The bureau expects the summer crop, which usually produces important feed grains suchas sorghum, to be down 62 per cent to 1.95 million tonnes.
Dr FISHER says the figures are all bad for the rural sector.
He says there's little doubt that 2002-03 is proving one of the worst years on recordfor grain producers.
He's warned grain supplies for livestock producers will remain tight until the wintergrains harvest.
AAP RTV sw/sb/tnf/jmt
KEYWORD: ABARE DROUGHT (CANBERRA)
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