Effects of drought still felt in Australia

Australia's crop production has risen overall but is still one of the lowest in five years because of the lingering effects of the drought, figures show.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said that while overall crop production had risen in 2007-08, there were falls in cotton production and a near complete suspension of rice production.

Drought conditions and industry adjustments had also led to a decline in livestock, with sheep and lambs at yet another historic low, the ABS said.

The major contributor to the continued low levels of crop production was a lack of water. The ABS figures showed that improved weather conditions resulted in wheat production increasing by 25 per cent to 13.6 million tonnes in 2007-08.

Wheat production rose across all major states, with the largest increases in Victoria, up by 127 per cent to 2 million tonnes, and South Australia, up by 59 per cent to 2.3 million tonnes.

Western Australia produced the most grain of all the states in 2007-08 at 5.8 million tonnes.

Livestock numbers fell in all categories, with sheep and lamb numbers dropping to their lowest level since 1920 at 76.9 million, while pig numbers fell to their lowest since 1982 at 2.4 million. The number of beef cattle fell to 24.8 million head while dairy cattle dropped to 2.5 million, a fall of 4.7 per cent.

- AAP