The AIMI survey of New Zealand cereal growers, as at July 1, 2023 is now available online.
The objective of this AIMI survey of cereal growers in New Zealand (NZ) was to determine, as at July 1, 2023:
• The final size of the 2023 NZ harvest of wheat, barley and oats (divided into milling/malting and feed crops)
• Sales channels and level of on-farm storage, both sold and unsold, of the 2023 harvest of these six crops
• Autumn/winter sowings of wheat, barley and oats (both milling/malting and feed), and sowing intentions for the spring of 2023
Key points (figures have been rounded to the nearest 100):
• Harvest conditions were variable across the country, with a cyclone in February affecting regions in the North Island, flooding ground, delaying harvest, reducing yield and quality and in some cases large portions of crops were lost. The South Island experienced favourable harvest conditions across most regions, until March, when parts of Canterbury experienced rain which delayed harvest.
• Overall, 2023 harvest data showed that yields were up compared to last season (by 6% over all six crops) and the area harvested was similar (up 1%). The net result was a 7% increase in total tonnage compared to last season.
• Unsold stocks of feed wheat are down on this time last year (down 5,400 tonnes), and unsold feed barley stocks are up by 37,600 tonnes on last year. Unsold stocks of milling wheat are up 11,200 tonnes on last year, and unsold stocks of malting barley are down 5,400 tonnes on last year.
• When totalled over all six cereal crops (including oats), the 2024 harvest hectares are predicted to be 1% down on the 2023 harvest hectares (from 96,000 hectares to 94,700 hectares).