Pulse Australia Forecasts Trimmed

VANCOUVER - Jun 18/08 - SNS -- Pulse Australia's crop production forecasts for 2008 match those released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, while providing more detail about chickpea and lupin production prospects for the coming season.

Output of all pulses grown in Australia is now expected to jump from almost 1.21 to over 1.76 million metric tons (MT), as improved yields overcome a 4.6 drop in total seeded area to just under 1.49 million hectares.

Looking toward crop production prospects for 2008, Pulses Australia notes, "This climate forecast. . . for the June to August period indicates a dry winter for much of Western Australia, and average to slightly above average for the rest of Australia. For Western Australia, this is driven by a rapid drop in sea surface temperatures to the north west which will reduce the influence of north west tropical moisture in-flows to interact with cold fronts.

"Additionally, cold fronts are likely to be at lower latitudes and deliver less rain to in-land agricultural areas. Debate is also continuing on the likely re-emergence of an El-Nino pattern in the next two months and its impact on spring rainfall in eastern Australia."

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