Australia says wheat crop set to plunge
Australia's wheat crop is set to fall by more than a quarter this season, a government report said Tuesday, as farmers face dry conditions and a surge in fuel and fertiliser prices fed by conflict in the Middle East.
A major world wheat exporter, Australia's harvest this season is set to plunge by 26 percent from last year to 26.7 million tonnes, according to the agriculture department's quarterly assessment.
Australian wheat is grown in winter, which has just started in the southern hemisphere, and most of it is exported to Asia and the Middle East.
The forecast wheat crop is 23 percent below the five-year average and eight percent below the 10-year average, the government report said.
