AUSTRALIA’S FARMERS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28562, 16 April 1958, Page 17

AUSTRALIA’S FARMERS

Dependence On Exports

The dependence of Australia’s rural industries on export markets is emphasised by the National Bank of Australia, Ltd., in a recent review. The bank says that during the earlier postwar years, world shortages of foodstuffs, together with a greater degree of farm mechanisation and more efficient use of land, gave impetus to a considerable expansion in Australian rural production. Today shortages had been largely overtaken and international markets had become strongly competitive, and not always favourable to Australia. A population increase within Australia of nearly 40 per cent, since 1939 had given rise to a far larger home market, but dependance on overseas markets did not appear to have lessened. ‘‘Export surplus of wheat, traditionally Australia’s most important agricultural crop, has fluctuated considerably in recent years,” the Bank points out. ‘‘ln good seasons, such as 1953/54 and 1955/56, the home market absorbed only about 20 per cent, of production, leaving the remainder for disposal overseas. Dependence on export markets for the disposal of grains other than wheat is, in some cases, far greater than pre-war. ‘‘Barley production is now about five times, oat production two and a half times, and rice production twice as great as before the war, while the production of grain sorghum and canary seed are virtually postwar development. ‘‘Of the major rural industries the rise in output of raw sugar has shown the greatest expansion. Although home consumption has increased by 40 per cent, the proportion of the output absorbed by the home market shows little change. The percentage of mutton and lamb for the home market was 89 per cent. (195657) compared with 72 per cent, pre-war.”