7307.0 - Wheat Use and Stocks, Australia, Dec 2008 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 10/02/2009   
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MEDIA RELEASE
February 10, 2009
Embargoed 11.30 am (AEST)
6/2009


Wheat grain stocks estimated at two million tonnes before start of new harvest: ABS

In its first ever assessment of Australia's wheat stocks, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that at the end of September 2008 - just before the start of the new harvest season - there was an estimated 2 million tonnes of wheat grain in storage.

Just over three-quarters of this (78% or 1.5 million tonnes) was stored by bulk grain handlers, with the remainder stored by large users such as animal feedlot operators, poultry and pig producers, grain mills and cereal/baking manufacturers.

During October, November and December, a total of 2.2 million tonnes of wheat grain were exported, and 1.3 million tonnes were used domestically.

Most exports were either from Western Australia (1.4 million tonnes) or South Australia (344,000 tonnes), while the highest domestic use was in New South Wales (582,000 tonnes) and Victoria (315,000 tonnes).

At the end of December 2008, 3.3 million tonnes of wheat grain were committed for use domestically, or for export.

Wheat Use and Stocks, Australia is a new monthly publication bringing together information about wheat grain stocks in the Australian economy. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) will use this information to compile a monthly report on the Australian wheat industry.

As this is a new publication, the ABS would like to receive feedback in relation to the range, usefulness and quality of the statistics.

More information is available in Wheat Use and Stocks, Australia, December 2008 (cat. no. 7307.0), available for free download.