World wheat production is headed for a record high this year, with a bumper crop in Australia providing the latest bump upward. Australia’s crop forecasters say the wheat harvest “is estimated to have increased by 120 percent in 2020-21 to 33.3 million tonnes.”
If the estimate – which was adopted by the USDA – proves correct, the crop would top the record of 31.8 million tonnes four years ago. Beneficial La Nina rains aided the crop in recent months. Drought limited Australia to 15.2 million tonnes last season.
The USDA pegged world wheat production at a record 776.8 million tonnes, an increase of 3.3 million tonnes, “mainly on higher Australia production.” Global wheat trade also was forecast at a record volume, with larger exports from Australia and Canada than expected a month ago. Australia is one of the leading wheat exporters of the world, along with Russia, the EU, the United States, Canada and Ukraine.
Early projections by the FAO and the International Grains Council say the global wheat crop will be larger still next year, at 780-790 million tonnes.