MEDIA RELEASE
15 November 2012	Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)	179/2012

The value of Australia’s principal agricultural commodities rose by 2 per cent in 2011-12 to $40.6 billion, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Helen Baird, Director of Rural Environment and Agriculture Statistics, said that the Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced publication showed that there had been a rise in the gross value of crops. "The gross value of crops increased 6 per cent to $20.0 billion," Ms Baird said. "The value of Australia's main crop, wheat, increased by 7 per cent to $7.5 billion. This was a smaller than expected rise due to flooding and competition from a strong sorghum crop, which saw an 8 per cent increase in value, up to $446 million. "The value of wheat was greatest in Western Australia, which doubled to $2.8 billion since 2010-11 due to increased production in that state. Favourable seasonal conditions for crop production saw increases in the values of other crops, including cotton, which is up 20 per cent; canola, which is up 32 per cent; tomatoes, which are up 21 per cent; and rice, which is up 46 per cent. "The gross value of livestock slaughtering and other disposals remained fairly stable at $13.6 billion, with decreases in the values of sheep and lambs partially offsetting the slight increases in the value of other livestock. "The gross value of livestock products decreased by 2 per cent to $7.0 billion in 2011-12, driven largely by a 9 per cent fall in the gross value of wool. This decrease was only partly offset by a small increase in the value of whole milk and eggs," Ms Baird said.

Preliminary figures from the 2012 Agricultural Resource Management Survey are at the State/Territory level. The final estimates will be released in 2013, including additional data cubes for regional geographies and Natural Resource Management regions.

Further details are in Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 7501.0) available for free download from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au).

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Commodity	Value ($ million)	Change from 2010-11
Barley	1,636	-5%
Grain Sorghum	446	8%
Oats	256	16%
Rice	254	46%
Wheat	7,540	7%
Canola	1,699	32%
Cotton	2,277	20%
Apples	424	-29%
Grapes	1,031	2%
Hay	905	-15%
Lupins for grain	227	5%
Nursery production	1,194	-5%
Sugar cane cut for crushing	1,038	9%
Potatoes	615	11%
Tomatoes	507	21%
Total principal crops	20,049	6%
Cattle and calves	7,895	1%
Sheep and lambs	2,678	-6%
Pigs	934	2%
Poultry	2,087	0
Total principal livestock slaughterings and other disposals	13,585	-1%
Wool	2,435	-9%
Milk	3,986	1%
Eggs	578	1%
Total principal livestock products	6,999	-2%
Total principal agriculture	40,632	2%

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