Australia: Grain and Feed Update

Australia is forecast to produce a record barley crop in marketing year (MY) 2025/26, while wheat production is expected to reach the second-highest level on record. A notable outcome given that seasonal conditions across most winter crop-producing regions were well below optimal. Wheat exports are forecast to rise by 14 percent to 27.0 million metric tons (MMT) in MY 2025/26, the third-highest level on record. Barley exports are projected at 8.6 MMT, the second highest on record. Sorghum production is forecast at 2.6 MMT in MY 2025/26, the fifth consecutive year of high output, with almost all production to be exported. Rice production is forecast to fall sharply to 158,000 metric tons (MT), less than half the prior season's level. This is almost entirely attributable to limited availability of irrigation water, significantly constraining rice planted area. Rice imports are expected to increase by 14 percent to a record 285,000 MT, while exports are forecast to decline by more than 50 percent to 130,000 MT.