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19 April 2012 The full report is available from www.daff.gov.au/abares

Summary of key issues • Favourable pasture conditions and cooler autumn weather across much of south-eastern

Australia have led to an increase in worm infestations in livestock.

• Winter crop sowing has reportedly been delayed in some regions of south-eastern Australia due to wet paddock conditions.

• Water storage levels in the Murray–Darling Basin decreased this week by 23 gigalitres and remained at approximately 88 per cent of total capacity.

• Fruit and vegetable wholesale prices were mixed in the week ending 14 April 2012, with increases for bananas, rockmelon, avocados and beans but decreases for apples (royal gala), pineapples, iceberg lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and brown onions.

• The world cotton indicator price averaged 98.7 US cents a pound in the week ending 18 April 2012, compared with 218.3 US cents a pound in the same week in 2011.

• The world sugar indicator price (Intercontinental Exchange, nearby futures, no. 11 contract) averaged around US23.2 cents a pound in the week ending 18 April 2012, 4.3 per cent lower than the previous week.

• As at 15 April, India has produced 24.6 million tonnes of sugar in the 2011–12 season (October to September), compared with 21.7 million tonnes produced by the same time last season.

• The world canola indicator price (Rapeseed, Europe, cif Hamburg) averaged US$661 a tonne in the week ending 17 April 2012, compared with US$665 a tonne in the previous week.

• The Australian canola indicator price (Portland, Victoria) averaged $526 a tonne in the week ending 16 April 2012, compared with $542 a tonne in the previous week.

• The Queensland young cattle price fell 13 cents to 361 cents a kilogram in the week ending 13 April 2012. Young cattle prices also fell in New South Wales and Victoria, by 7 cents and 4 cents, to 399 cents and 401 cents a kilogram, respectively.

• Saleyard lamb prices were mixed in the week ending 13 April 2012. Prices were slightly higher in New South Wales (1 per cent), South Australia (2 per cent) and Western Australia (3 per cent), and lower in Victoria (-1 per cent) and Tasmania (-2 per cent).

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1. Climate

1.1. Notable events • For the week ending 18 April 2012, most of Australia recorded little or no rainfall. A large slow-moving

high pressure system resulted in fine weather over most of the continent during the week. An east coast low brought heavy falls to coastal Queensland and New South Wales towards the end of the week. The highest measured rainfall total for the week was 252 millimetres at Daintree Village near Cairns in northern Queensland.

• Favourable pasture conditions and cooler autumn weather across much of south-eastern Australia have provided ideal conditions for a build-up of worm infestations in livestock. Following a drenching program and implementing rotational grazing may help reduce the worm burden.

• Harvesting of summer crops in wet conditions has reportedly caused some compaction issues that will require additional cultivation.

• Winter crop sowing has reportedly been delayed in some regions of south-eastern Australia due to wet paddock conditions.

• A major flood warning remains for the Darling River at Wilcannia, while a moderate flood warning is current downstream at Menindee. The flooding is a legacy of wider floodwaters associated with heavy rainfall across New South Wales during early March. There are still reports of some floodwater inundation in paddocks around Forbes and Wyalong in western New South Wales.

1.2. Rainfall this week For the week ending 18 April 2012, most of Australia recorded little or no rainfall. An east coast low brought heavy falls to coastal Queensland and New South Wales towards the end of the week. For further information, go to www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/weeklyrain.shtml.

Rainfall for the week ending 18 April 2012

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/weeklyrain.shtml

1.3. Temperature anomalies this week Spatial temperature analyses are based on historical weekly temperature data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. These temperature anomaly maps show the departure of the maximum and minimum from the long-term average. Temperature anomalies are calculated using high resolution gridded datasets from 1911 onwards. For further information on temperature anomalies, go to www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/.

Maximum temperature anomalies for the week ending 17 April 2012

Minimum temperature anomalies for the week ending 17 April 2012

http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/

1.4. Rainfall outlook The rainfall forecast below is produced from computer models. As it contains no input from weather forecasters, it is important to also check local forecasts and warnings by the Bureau of Meteorology.

Total forecast rainfall for the period 19 to 26 April 2012

2. Water

2.1. Water availability • Water storage levels in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) decreased this week by 23 gigalitres (GL) and

stayed at approximately 88 per cent of total capacity. This is 5 percentage points or 1057 GL more than this time last year.

Water storages in the Murray–Darling Basin (NSW, Victoria and Queensland)

Information on irrigation water available in the Murray–Darling Basin from 1 January 2001 to 19 April 2012 is shown above. The top horizontal (red) line indicates the storage level at the similar time last year. The bottom horizontal (orange) line indicates the amount of ‘dead’ or unusable storage.

3. Commodities

3.1. Production and commodities • Watermelon, rockmelon and banana wholesale prices were higher in the week ending 14 April 2012

however apples (royal gala) and pineapples were lower.

• Wholesale prices for beans were higher in the week ending 14 April 2012, but prices for broccoli, cauliflower and iceberg lettuce were lower.

• The world cotton indicator price (the Cotlook ‘A’ index) averaged 98.7 US cents a pound in the week ending 18 April 2012, compared with 218.3 US cents a pound in the same week in 2011.

• The world sugar indicator price (Intercontinental Exchange, nearby futures, no. 11 contract) averaged around US23.2 cents a pound in the week ending 18 April 2012, 4.3 per cent lower than the previous week.

• As at 15 April, India has produced 24.6 million tonnes of sugar in the 2011–12 season (October to September), compared with 21.7 million tonnes produced by the same time last season.

• The world canola indicator price (Rapeseed, Europe, cif Hamburg) averaged US$661 a tonne in the week ending 17 April 2012, compared with US$665 a tonne in the previous week.

• The Australian canola indicator price (Portland, Victoria) averaged $526 a tonne in the week ending 16 April 2012, compared with $542 a tonne in the previous week.

• The world coarse grains indicator price (US no. 2 yellow corn, free on board Gulf ports) averaged US$270 a tonne in the week ending 18 April 2012, compared with US$278 a tonne in the previous week.

• The world wheat indicator price (US no. 2 hard red winter, free on board Gulf ports) averaged US$273 a tonne in the week ending 17 April 2012, compared with US$283 a tonne in the previous week.

• The Queensland young cattle price fell 13 cents to 361 cents a kilogram in the week ending 13 April 2012. Young cattle prices in New South Wales and Victoria also fell, by 7 cents and 4 cents, to 399 cents and 401 cents a kilogram, respectively.

• Saleyard lamb prices were mixed in the week ending 13 April 2012. Prices were slightly higher in New South Wales (1 per cent), South Australia (2 per cent) and Western Australia (3 per cent), and lower in Victoria (-1 per cent) and Tasmania (-2 per cent).

3.2. Recent movements in fruit and vegetable prices Weekly wholesale prices for selected fruit, Melbourne market

Weekly wholesale prices for selected vegetables, Melbourne market

3.3. Selected world indicator prices*

* No new data is available for Eastern Market Indicator wool price for the week ending 18 April 2012

3.4. Crop indicator prices

3.5. Livestock indicator prices

4. Data attribution Climate Bureau of Meteorology

• Weekly rainfall totals: www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/rain/index.jsp

• Monthly and last 3-months rainfall percentiles: www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/

• Temperature anomalies: www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/

• Rainfall forecast: www.bom.gov.au/jsp/watl/rainfall/pme.jsp

• Seasonal outlook: www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead

• Drought statement: www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/drought.shtml

• ENSO Wrap-Up: www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/

• Soil moisture (BoM, CSIRO and the former Bureau of Rural Sciences): www.eoc.csiro.au/awap/ Water New South Wales

• New South Wales Water Information: http://waterinfo.nsw.gov.au/

• New South Wales Office of Water, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water: www.water.nsw.gov.au/Home/default.aspx

• Available water determinations register: www.wix.nsw.gov.au/wma/DeterminationSearch.jsp?selectedRegister=Determination

• Snowy Hydro: www.snowyhydro.com.au/lakeLevels.asp?pageID=47&parentID=61&grandParentID=4 Queensland

• Sunwater: www.sunwater.com.au

• seqwater: http://seqwater.com.au South Australia

• SA Water: www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/Environment/TheRiverMurray/River+Murray+Levels.htm

• South Australian Department of Water: www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/

Victoria

• Goulburn–Murray Water: www.g-mwater.com.au Water trading

• Waterexchange: www.waterexchange.com.au Commodities Fruit and vegetables

• Datafresh: www.datafresh.com.au Mutton, lambs, wheat, barley and grain sorghum

• The Land: hardcopy or online at http://theland.farmonline.com.au/markets.aspx Cattle, mutton, lambs and pigs

• Meat and Livestock Australia: www.mla.com.au/Prices-and-markets Canola

• Weekly Times: hardcopy

http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/rain/index.jsphttp://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/watl/rainfall/pme.jsphttp://www.bom.gov.au/climate/aheadhttp://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/drought.shtmlhttp://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/http://www.eoc.csiro.au/awap/http://waterinfo.nsw.gov.au/http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/Home/default.aspxhttp://www.wix.nsw.gov.au/wma/DeterminationSearch.jsp?selectedRegister=Determinationhttp://www.snowyhydro.com.au/lakeLevels.asp?pageID=47&parentID=61&grandParentID=4http://www.sunwater.com.au/http://seqwater.com.au/http://www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/Environment/TheRiverMurray/River+Murray+Levels.htmhttp://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/http://www.g-mwater.com.au/http://www.waterexchange.com.au/http://www.datafresh.com.au/http://theland.farmonline.com.au/markets.aspxhttp://www.mla.com.au/Prices-and-markets

19 April 2012Summary of key issues1. Climate1.1. Notable events1.2. Rainfall this weekRainfall for the week ending 18 April 2012

1.3. Temperature anomalies this weekMaximum temperature anomalies for the week ending 17 April 2012Minimum temperature anomalies for the week ending 17 April 2012

1.4. Rainfall outlookTotal forecast rainfall for the period 19 to 26 April 2012

2. Water2.1. Water availabilityWater storages in the Murray–Darling Basin (NSW, Victoria and Queensland)

3. Commodities3.1. Production and commodities3.2. Recent movements in fruit and vegetable prices3.3. Selected world indicator prices*3.4. Crop indicator prices3.5. Livestock indicator prices

4. Data attributionClimateWaterCommodities