1329.0.55.001 - Vineyards Estimates, Australia, Preliminary, 2002-03  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 15/10/2003   
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Drought sours grape production in 2003: ABS


Poor seasonal conditions saw grape production for 2003 fall by 16% to 1.5 million tonnes, according to preliminary estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

Other key findings were:
  • The three largest producing states all recorded decreases in production: South Australia fell by 10% to 627,000 tonnes; Victoria fell by 24% to 392,000 tonnes; and New South Wales fell by 17% to 374,000 tonnes.
  • Poor growing conditions across all the major grape growing regions saw overall yield fall from 12.2 tonnes per hectare in 2002 to 10.2 tonnes per hectare in 2003.
  • The total area of vines reported increased marginally to 159,000 hectares during 2003.

Preliminary estimates from the Vineyard Survey, 2003 (cat. no. 1329.0.55.001) can be viewed via this web site.