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AEGIC
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Australia’s Grain Outlook 2030
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AEGIC is an initiative of the Western Australian State Government
and Grains Research & Development Corporation
Department of
Primary Industries and
Regional Development
AUSTRALIA’S
GRAIN OUTLOOK
2030
Ross Kingwell
Chief Economist, AEGIC
MIRP19030EN
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Australia’s Grain Outlook 2030
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Foreword
AEGIC’s purpose is to increase value in the Australian grains industry. Hence, strategically it
is important to understand internal and external trends that are likely to influence the value
and creation of new opportunities for Australian grains. Key internal trends are explored in this
report, including grain production and consumption trends within Australia. External trends are
investigated in other reports currently in preparation.
All contents copyright @AEGIC. All rights reserved.
The related bodies corporate, directors and employees of AEGIC accept no liability whatsoever for any injury, loss, claim, damage, incidental
or consequential damage, arising out of, or in any way connected with, the use of any information, or any error, omission or defect in the
information contained in this publication. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this publication AEGIC accepts no liability for
the accuracy of the information supplied.
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Summary
Towards 2030, Australia’s population and its demand for feed grains will grow. By 2030,
Australia’s population will be around 30 million and the diets of many Australians will include
grain-based foods and grain-fed meat. Supporting this domestic demand, and growing export
demand, will be the yield-enhancing activity of plant scientists, technologists, farmers and their
advisers. Their beneficial actions will be against the backdrop of a volatile changing climate in
many grain-growing regions and competition from low-cost international suppliers.
This report examines trends in crop production, use of feed and food grains, and population
and dietary change in Australia. We predict an additional 5.65mmt of grain will be produced in
Australia by 2030, increasing from current production of 49mmt in 2017/18 to 54.6mmt in 2030.
Due to population growth and the projected dietary habits of Australians, much of the additional
production will be for domestic feed and food grain use, centred mostly in eastern Australia.
The additional surplus of grain available for export in 2030 is expected to be between 2.4mmt
and 2.77mmt.
Important spatial differences are emerging in grain demand and production across Australia.
These spatial patterns have important structural implications for Australia’s grains industry.
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Australia’s Grain Outlook 2030
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• Australia’s population is projected to increase by between 16 and 19 per cent by 2030.
This means between 4.07 and 4.89 million additional people in Australia.
• Little increase in the area sown to winter and summer crops in Australia has occurred since
the mid-2000s and further increases are unlikely towards 2030.
• Despite plant breeding, agronomic and technology improvements, the average rate of crop
yield improvement is only 0.6 per cent per annum since the late 1980s. There is spatial
variation in yield improvement trends and yield volatility has worsened in eastern Australia.
• Climate change and seasonal variation are limiting yield growth in many grain-growing
regions.
• The mix of crops grown across Australia is fairly stable with a slight increase in the relative
importance of canola over the last decade. In eastern Australia coarse grains and pulses
feature more in the mix of crops.
• The pattern of meat consumption among Australians is changing, with a growing dominance
of chicken and pork consumption at the expense of beef and lamb.
• Increasingly, the main meats consumed by Australians are from grain-fed animals.
• By 2030:
— feed grain demand in Australia will increase by between 2.24mmt and 2.48mmt.
— an additional 0.64mmt to 0.77mmt of grain will be required for flour and malt production.
— an additional 5.65mmt of grain will be produced, increasing from current production of
49mmt in 2017/18 to 54.6mmt.
— the surplus of grain available for export is expected to be between 2.4mmt and 2.77mmt.
— almost all the additional grain production in eastern Australia will need to flow to the
east coast domestic market to satisfy its growth in east coast feed and food demand.
— the main sources of additional exportable surpluses of grain will be Western Australia
and South Australia.
— the grain quality profile of Australia’s main export crop, wheat, is likely to alter as
Western Australia’s and South Australia’s share of national wheat exports increase.
• A key implication of our findings is that towards 2030 Australia’s domestic requirements for
grain will become increasingly important, especially in eastern Australia where most of the
population increase and greater demand for feed grains, flour, oil for human consumption and
malt will occur. By contrast, most of the exportable surpluses of grain will increasingly come
from the less populous states of Western Australia and South Australia. The task of finding
export markets for the additional 2.4mmt to 2.77mmt of export grain may not be overly
challenging, given the projected increase in grain imports envisaged for many of Australia’s
current grain customers. But it needs noting that the task of selling more Australian grain will
occur in the face of burgeoning exports from low cost international competitors.
Key Findings
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Contents
Foreword 2
Summary 3
Key Findings 4
Introduction 6
Production trends 7
Consumption trends in Australia 11
Local demand for feed grains towards 2030 14
Local demand for food grains towards 2030 21
Future grain production 21
Australia’s exportable surplus of grain towards 2030 22
Caveats 24
References 26
Appendix One 27
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Introduction
Crop production in Australia is subject to many influences. Farmland can be put to various uses;
crop or animal production, horticulture or forestry and mixtures of some or all of these activities.
Innovation and technology affects the cost and efficiency of producing each type of farm product.
Commodity markets, both local and overseas, send their price signals about what commodities are
most or least in demand. Meanwhile, farmers constantly battle with seasonal conditions and in
many regions also deal with the march of a changing climate. Most farms in Australia are family
businesses, so these businesses also need to deal with issues such as family business succession
and how best to gear the next generation to engage with farm production and all its associated
challenges and opportunities.
Historically, crop production has been a core activity for many Australian farm businesses.
Towards 2030; what changes in Australia’s crop production are likely to emerge and what are the
implications for the types and volumes of grain that Australia will produce and need to market?
This question is the focus of this investigation. Being informed about the likely types and volumes
of grain Australia will produce towards 2030 can improve our understanding of the market
opportunities and challenges for Australian grain in the coming decade.
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Production trends
Australia’s winter and summer crop areas and production since the late 1980s are shown in
Figure 1. Winter crop production increasingly dominates grain production in Australia, yet the area
sown to winter crops has plateaued since the mid-2000s. Nonetheless, production continues to
trend upwards, although yield volatility can cause variation in that trend.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
5
10
15
20
25
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90
1990-91
1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
Crop production (mmt)
Crop area (Mha)
Winter crop area Summer crop area
Winter crop production Summer crop production
Figure 1
Winter and summer crop areas and production in Australia: 1987/88 to 2017/18
Crop production in Australia has increased 4-fold since the mid-1970s (Figure 2). Crop production
has increased at a greater rate and to a larger extent than livestock production and its components
of slaughterings and livestock products, such as wool or milk.
The increase in crop production has come from an increase in the area planted to winter crops
and an increase in crop yields. Over the 3-years from 1987/88 to 1989/90 14.1 million hectares were
planted to winter crops. During a recent 3-year period, 2015/16 to 2017/18, 21.8 million hectares
were sown to winter crops; a 55% increase. Most of the area increases have occurred in WA, NSW
and Vic; and the rates of yield increase in each State display marked spatial variability (Figure 7).
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Total crops Livestock products
Livestock slaughterings Total livestock
25
45
65
85
105
125
145
165
1974-75
1976-77
1978-79
1980-81
1982-83
1984-85
1986-87
1988-89
1990-91
1992-93
1994-95
1996-97
1998-99
2000-01
2002-03
2004-05
2006-07
2008-09
2010-11
2012-13
2014-15
2016-17
Volume of production indices
Figure 2
Indices of the volume of production of crops, livestock slaughterings and livestock products in Australia since 1974/75
Across Australia, since the 2000s the area mix of crops has altered little, although the oilseed area
has increased at the expense of some wheat and coarse grain area later in the decade. Pulse crops
continue to occupy only around 10 per cent of the national crop area. Within some grain growing
regions the mix of crops has changed more. For example, in WA the area of the main pulse crop,
lupins, has reduced substantially while the area sown to the oilseed, canola, has greatly increased.
Among pulse crops, offsetting the decline in the lupin area in WA has been increased plantings of
chickpeas in NSW.
Despite the reasonably constant land share allocations to the main crops, as shown in Figure
3, climate variability has caused large swings in Australian grain production. Most major crop
production in Australia is rainfed, so changes in rainfall acutely affect crop production. Over the
period 2000 to 2018 the volatility of rainfall in eastern Australia has been greater than the volatility
of rainfall in the west coast region of cropping, as is historically the norm. A measure of rainfall
volatility, the coefficient of variation of rainfall, from 2000 to 2018 has been 0.28 in the Murray
Darling basin versus 0.15 in the south west of Australia. As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 most
of the variation in crop production in the eastern and western regions of cropping in Australia is
attributable to rainfall variation. Because rainfall variation is greater in eastern Australia its crop
production variation is also greater.
Low-yielding years in eastern Australia are almost always due to drought. What became known as
the millennium drought in eastern Australia commenced in the late 1990s and worsened in 2001
and 2002. By 2003 it was recognised as the worst drought on record. Even more challenging was the
year 2006, the driest on record for many parts of the country and conditions remained hot and dry
through to early 2010 after which the drought broke, but then returned in 2018. A ramification of
the greater volatility of grain production in eastern Australia is that when regional shares of grain
production are examined, it appears as though WA has a highly variable share of the nation’s grain
production (Figure 6). Whilst true, this is an artefact of the highly variable production in eastern
Australia and the more reliable production of grain in Western Australia, at least to date, and in
spite of the south-west grain-growing region of Western Australia also being acknowledged as
subject to a drying and warming trend in its climate.
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Wheat Oilseeds
Coarse grains Pulses
Crop share
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
East Coast grain production Murray-Darling basin rainfall
Crop production (mmt)
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
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2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Murray Darling Basin annual
rainfall (mm)
West Coast (WA and SA) grain production South west Australia annual rainfall
West coast (WA and SA) grain
production (mmt)
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
South west Australia annual
rainfall (mm)
Figure 3
Proportion of Australia’s crop area sown to different crop types since 2000/01
Figure 4
Crop production (mmt) in eastern Australia (Qld, NSW & Vic) since 2000/01 (mmt) and annual rainfall (mm)
in the Murray-Darling basin
Figure 5
Crop production in Western Australia and South Australia (mmt) and annual rainfall in the south west of Australia
since 2000/01 (mm)
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Western Australia (WA) has less yield variability compared to key grain-growing regions in NSW and
Vic, but all regions display constrained yield growth. Figure 7 displays the rates of change in wheat
yield across Australia over the period 1990 to 2017. Many parts of NSW, Vic, SA and central and
eastern parts of WA’s grainbelt show very little yield advancement, despite the best endeavours of
plant breeders, agronomists, farmers and agricultural engineers. Only in more southern or higher
rainfall regions are higher rates of yield improvement observed. National and State aggregated
statistics on grain production mask these important spatial changes in grain production. Australia’s
major grain handlers have noted these spatial changes and accordingly have adjusted their
investments in grain handling and storage facilities.
In regions with pronounced seasonal variability, it is likely that the frequency of poor years will
financially constrain farmers’ input applications and lead to lesser rates of yield advancement.
Indebtedness and financial insecurity will limit the grain yields achieved by some farms.
WA Vic Qld
NSW SA
Share of grain production
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Figure 6
State shares of Australian grain production since 2000/01
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Figure 7
Spatial time trends in wheat yields in statistical sub-divisions across Australia from 1990 to 2017
Fitzroy SD Bal
Fitzroy SD Bal
Mackay SD Bal
Hunter SD Bal
Tamworth
Northern
Tablelands
Dubbo
Macquarie-Barwon
Upper Darling
Lachlan
Albury
Central Murray
Hopkins
Glenelg
West Central Highlands
South Wimmera South Goulburn
Darling
Downs
SD Bal
South West
Fitzroy SD Bal
Barossa
Fleurieu
Yorke
Lower North
Riverland
Murray Mallee
Upper South East
Pirie
Macquarie-Barwon
Upper Darling
Lincoln
West Coast
Central
Tablelands
Lower South East
Kangaroo Island
Southern
Central North
Blackwood Pallinup
King
Hotham Lakes
Moore
Avon Campion
Johnston
Greenough River
Flinders
Ranges
Central
Murrumbidgee
Southern Tablelands
Lower
Murrumbidgee
Central
Macquarie
Northern
Slopes
Upper Murray
Murray
Darling
E.Mallee
W.Mallee
North
Wimmera
W.Barwon
Wide Bay
Burnett
SD Bal
N.Goulburn
North
Loddon
W.
Mallee
North
Central
Plain
West Ovens
Murray
Preston
Tasmania
Australia
Western
South
Australia
Victoria
New
South
Wales
Queensland
LEGEND
Statistical subdivision boundary
Wheatbelt boundary
agrometeorology
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Kilometres (approx.)
> 72
60 to 72
48 to 60
36 to 48
24 to 36
12 to 24
Trend kg/ha/yr
0 to 12
C Agrometeorology Australia, 2019
Australia
Trends in wheat yields at a statistical subdivision level
1990-2017
Steady/decreasing
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Consumption trends
in Australia
In eastern Australia where 75% of Australia’s consumers reside (Kingwell, 2019), domestic
consumption trends are a key driving force behind grain production.
The unique characteristics of each type of grain affect its consumption. Wheat, for example, can
be used in raw form as a local feed grain or an export grain. Additionally, it can be converted into
flour and millmix, with the flour used in local manufacture of breads, noodles, cakes, pastries and
biscuits. Canola can be exported or used locally, crushed into oil and canola meal, with the latter
used as an animal feed. Barley is both an export grain as well as a local feed grain. In addition,
it can be transformed into malt, mostly for beer production. Pulses such as lupins, chickpeas and
field peas are exported and used locally for human consumption or, in the case of lupins and
sorghum, for animal feeding.
Australia will experience further population growth and sustained wealth towards 2030. These twin
factors will jointly increase the demand for grains as human foods — grains in breakfast cereals
and snack bars, flour for bread, cakes, biscuits, pastries and as a cooking ingredient, malt for beer,
cooking oils and pulses as a meal ingredient. Population and per capita income growth will also
drive an increased demand for animal protein which in turn will increase domestic demand for
feed grains. This demand will be exacerbated during periods of drought when grazing animals have
inadequate pastures and will require supplementary grain-feeding to maintain animal welfare and
sustain their production. Slightly offsetting that growth in demand for feed grains will be progress
in animal breeding that will further improve the efficiency of feed conversion enabling higher meat
yield from each animal (see Oceania in Figure 8, and Figure 9).
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1961 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2014
Poultry yields (kg per animal)
North America EuropeSouth America Oceania
Africa
World
Asia
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
1961 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2014
Pig meat yields (kg per animal)
North America Europe South America AfricaWorld Asia
100
80
60
40
20
0
Figure 8
Yield of meat from each raised chicken
Source: UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
Figure 9
Yield of pig meat from each carcass
Source: UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
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Local demand for feed grains
towards 2030
The local demand for feed grains is affected, and will continue to be affected, by dietary change
among Australians (Figure 10). Per capita consumption of red meat (beef, lamb and mutton) in
Australia is consistently trending downwards, whilst the opposite is observed for chicken and pork.
Per capita chicken meat consumption has increased 5-fold since the early 1970s and in the early
2000s chicken became the main type of meat consumed by Australians. Chicken and pork are now
the main meats consumed by Australians. However, overall, Australians’ consumption of meat has
not changed much over the last 40 years with per capita consumption ranging from 100 to 110kg.
Beef and veal Pork
Lamb and mutton Chicken
1974-75
1976-77
1978-79
1980-81
1982-83
1984-85
1986-87
1988-89
1990-91
1992-93
1994-95
1996-97
1998-99
2000-01
2002-03
2004-05
2006-07
2008-09
2010-11
2012-13
2014-15
2016-17
Per capita consumption (kg)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Figure 10
Australia’s per capita consumption trends of different meats since 1974/75
Source: Based on data in ABARES (2018)
The substantial shift in the per capita mix of meat consumption in Australia has been mostly a
function of relative prices (Figure 11). Lamb was once the cheapest meat consumed in Australia.
It is now the most expensive. Chicken is now the most affordable type of meat, followed by pork.
The price gap between lamb and beef versus poultry has been widening, encouraging greater
consumption of chicken. Poultry is now the most consumed meat at around 48kg per person. Beef
and veal and pig meat each account for between 20 and 30kg per person. Fish, not mentioned in
Figure 10, accounts for around 15kg per person and sheep meat is under 10kg per person.
This change in the pattern of meat consumption in Australia has important implications for the
demand for feed grains. Back in the early 1970s when consumption of beef and sheep meat was
commonplace, much of that meat was based on animals grazing pastures. However, most beef
animals are now sent to feedlots for finishing, and pork and chicken meat production is entirely
dependent on grain-feeding. Hence, an increasing proportion of the meat consumed by Australians
is derived from grain-feeding.
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Lamb PoultryBeef Pork
Price indices
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1984-85
1985-86
1986-87
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90
1990-91
1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
Figure 11
Price indices of Australia’s main meats since 1984/85
Source: Based on data in ABARES (2018); (Base year is 1997/98 = 100)
The grain-based meats that now dominate Australians’ meat consumption represent very efficient
use of feed grains (Table 1). Chicken and pig meat have far better feed conversion ratios than beef
or sheep meat production.
Table 1
Feed conversion ratios in meat production
Chicken Pork Beef
Feed conversion for liveweight (feed weight/liveweight of animal) 1.8a3.6b10
Feed conversion for end product (feed weight/carcase weight) 2.4b5b17b
Protein content (% of edible weight) 20 14 15
Note: a See https://www.chicken.org.au/facts-and-figures/#Efficiency_of_Chicken_Production
b Based on industry sources.
Also see Alexander et al. (2016) and Dalton and Keogh (2007).
The volumes of feed grains used by various livestock industries in Australia in 2017/18 are shown in
Table 2. Some of the livestock industries in Table 2 primarily serve Australia’s domestic market.
Such industries include aquaculture, eggs, horse, poultry meat and pork. Other industries such as
beef, dairy and sheep are more export oriented.
Table 2
Feed grain use by livestock industries in Australia in 2017/18
Feed grain use (kt)
Poultry meat 3261
Eggs 998
Pork 1632
Dairy 2628
Beef 3913
Sheep 309
Horse 443
Aquaculture 164
Other 190
Source: Spragg (2018)
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For livestock industries mainly with a domestic market focus, their dependence on feed grains
will mostly be a function of change in the size of Australia’s population towards 2030 and shifts in
dietary preferences that favour or discourage consumption of their animal products. Industries like
aquaculture, poultry and eggs are far less exposed to the vagaries of climate, unlike the cattle and
sheep industries, and so can quickly alter their production in response to market conditions. Their
short breeding cycles also facilitate their responsiveness to market conditions. By contrast, the long
intervals in breeding cycles for cows and ewes means that any expansion in their herd size occurs
slowly and is vulnerable to any prolonged sequence of adverse seasons. Hence, any strategic
alteration in feed grain use by the sheep and cattle industry tends to occur slowly; notwithstanding
the dramatic impact that drought can have on feed grain demand.
Towards 2030, further dietary change is likely among the Australian population with a gradual rise
in vegetarianism (Morgan, 2016), increased consumption of farmed fish and a further reduced
frequency of red meat consumption. By illustration, the proportion of the Australian population
strictly or broadly classed as vegetarian grew slightly from 10% to 11% between 2012 and 2016. The
implications of this dietary shift is a likely plateauing or lessening of per capita meat consumption,
and a further relative decline in red meat consumption; despite per capita wealth potentially
increasing. Globally, usually as per capita wealth increases so does per capita meat and dairy
product consumption. However, in highly developed economies, per capita meat consumption often
is projected to plateau (OECD – FAO, 2019).
Meat and dairy production account for over half of Australia’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
and heavily draw on water resources (CSIRO, 2019), thereby fuelling environmental concerns that
lead some consumers to reduce their consumption of these products. For some other consumers,
ethical issues surrounding animal welfare encourage a switch away from meat consumption.
Australia’s population is projected to reach 30 million people between 2029 and 2033 (ABS, 2018).
The growth in population is a function of fertility rates, net overseas migration and average life
expectancy. One likely scenario for Australia, as an advanced economy, is to display low fertility,
medium life expectancy and a low net overseas migration, due to subdued global economic growth
and government policy. Under these conditions, Australia’s population in 2030 is projected to be
29.17 million. Other plausible scenarios are described in Figure 12, with the resultant estimates of
Australia’s population in 2030 ranging from 29.17 to 29.99 million.
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Figure 12
Population growth scenarios for Australia towards 2030. Numbers in brackets are the estimates of Australia’s
population in 2030 in millions of persons
Source: ABS (2018)
Low fertility
Medium
fertility
Medium life
expectancy
Medium life
expectancy
Low net overseas
migration
(29.17)
Low net overseas
migration
(29.42)
Low net overseas
migration
(29.22)
Low net overseas
migration
(29.47)
Medium net
overseas migration
(29.68)
Medium net
overseas migration
(29.93)
Medium net
overseas migration
(29.73)
Medium net
overseas migration
(29.99)
High life
expectancy
High life
expectancy
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These population projections indicate that by 2030 there is likely to be between 4.07 and
4.89 million additional people in Australia. Importantly for feed grain demand, the ageing of
Australia’s population will help maintain Australia’s relatively high per capita consumption of
livestock industry products. Sui et al (2017) examined meat consumption by age group in Australia
and found that per capita meat consumption is highest for persons in the age range 14 to 70.
Moreover, per capita meat consumption for men and women from 51 to 70 years old is very similar
to levels recorded by males and females from age 14 to 18. The age interval in which per capita
consumption levels are highest is 19 to 50 years of age.
For livestock industries with a dominant focus on the domestic market, the growth in Australia’s
population represents new demand and new sales opportunities. For other industries, such as
beef and sheep meat, their product will either be diverted from an export market onto the growing
domestic market or the combination of demand pull from the export and local markets may trigger
greater production and therefore a greater demand for feed grains to service these markets.
To illustrate the important role played by population growth in the derived demand for feed grain,
consider the example of poultry meat consumption, noting that less than 1% of all chicken meat
and products sold in Australia are imported. Australia’s per capita consumption of poultry meat is
48.8kg (Figure 10), on a carcass weight basis (ABARES, 2018). Poultry meat consumption has been
strongly trending upwards over several decades (Figure 10). Assuming that trend continues, albeit
at a slightly lesser rate, then by 2030 poultry meat per capita consumption could be 55kg. The
dressed weight (i.e. carcass weight) of a chicken is about 75% of its liveweight, and about 1.8kg of
grain feed is required to produce a kilogram of liveweight for chickens (see Table 1). Hence, about
2.4kg of grain feed is required to produce a kilogram of carcass weight. By 2030 the additional grain
feed requirements of Australia’s chicken meat industry attributable to population gain and slightly
increased per capita consumption will be between 0.91mmt and 1.02mmt.
Another example is the egg industry. Data contained in various annual reports of the Australian Egg
Corporation reveal that, particularly since the early 2000s, there has been a strong upward trend
in the per capita consumption of eggs. In the 1990s consumption ranged between 145 to 180 eggs
per person, then throughout the 2000s and continuing into current years, per capita consumption
has increased to around 245 eggs per person. It takes around 2.3kg of feed to produce a kilogram
of eggs, so to produce the 245 eggs currently consumed by each person requires about 28.2kg of
feed. Hence, assuming the upward trend, albeit at a lesser rate, in per capita consumption of eggs
continues towards 2030 then by 2030 255 eggs per person will be consumed. The likely additional
feed grain quantity required for egg production in 2030 will be in the range of 0.15mmt to 0.17mmt.
Similar estimates for other industries are presented in Table 3.
Per capita consumption of pork in Australia has been increasing steadily (Figure 10). As pork
production is underpinned by grain-feeding, the expectation would be that additional feed grains
would be required by 2030 to support the growing domestic demand for pork. However, the pork
industry in Australia has been much affected by the ability to import pork meat, such that imports
equate to 80 per cent of Australia’s pork production (ABARES, 2018). Net imports now account
for around 70 per cent of Australians’ pork consumption. If this important role of imported pork
continues towards 2030 then the Australian pig industry’s demand for feed grain will be far less
than otherwise would be the case if such imports greatly declined. In this report, we assume the
importation of pork will continue but production efficiency gains in the Australian pork industry will
lower net imports to around 50 per cent of Australians’ pork consumption.
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The recent serious outbreak of African swine fever in China, and their subsequent culling of
infected pigs will support the enlarged domestic market share of local pig production in Australia.
China will increase its imports of pork, yet because Australia neither has pig meat export protocols
with China nor a sufficient volume of potential exportable surpluses, China will import pork from
major European and North American exporters. Hence, some European pork that ordinarily would
have been exported to Australia instead will now flow to China, relieving some competitive pressure
on the Australian pork industry. If the Australian pork industry can maintain its competitive
strength against pork imports then the Australian industry will draw on more local feed grains.
Already observed in the Australian pork industry is a shift in production to regions where feed grain
production is more reliable and affordable. For example, Victoria’s and South Australia’s share of
national pork production is gradually increasing, underpinned by feed grain production in those
regions. The result of these trade and structural changes in the pig industry is that we estimate the
industry’s demand for feed grains to increase by between 0.5mmt and 0.55mmt by 2030
Increasing health consciousness among Australians will likely ensure their increased per capita
consumption of seafood. In Australia’s domestic seafood market Australian product competes with
Asian imports such as aquaculture prawns from Thailand and aquaculture finfish (basa) from China
(Mobsby and Koduah, 2017). Nonetheless, the volume of farmed aquaculture products in Australia
has grown at an average annual rate of 6 per cent from 2005/6 to reach 97,046 tonnes in 2015/16.
Aquaculture draws on local feed supplies, so the combination of population increase and higher per
capita consumption of aquaculture products will increase the demand for aquafeeds.
The components of the calculations for feed grain use in the chicken, pork and egg industries are
outlined in Appendix One.
Table 3
Additional feed grain required at 2030 for various industries
with a domestic focus
Additional feed grain use
(mmt)
Poultry meat 0.91–1.02
Eggs 0.15–0.17
Pork 0.65–0.72
Dairy 0.06–0.08
Horse 0.07–0.09
Aquaculture 0.04
Other 0.019
To satisfy the feed grain demand growth in the industries listed in Table 3 will require the supply of
an additional 1.88mmt to 2.12mmt of feed grains. Between 2008/9 to 2017/18, Australia produced on
average 45mmt of winter and summer crops. To satisfy the additional demand for feed grains listed
in Table 3 will require around a 5 per cent increase in Australia’s crop production. An important
assumption is that Australia will not increase its importation of feed grains, mostly soybean meal.
If Australia does increase both its grain production and feed grain imports, then more grain will
be available for export than estimated in this report. In addition, we assume that Australia’s share
of pork consumption based on imported pork will lessen. If this does not occur and Australia is
increasingly reliant on imported pork, then the domestic demand for feed grain will be less than
estimated here, and export grain volumes will be more than reported here.
The production prospects for sheep, beef and dairying are more uncertain relative to the other
livestock industries as many factors affect their growth prospects. For example, animal welfare
issues continue to discourage the export of live animals, especially sheep. Any shift in government
policy that further restricts or forbids the export of live sheep is likely to discourage sheep
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Australia’s Grain Outlook 2030
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production in WA (the main source of live sheep exports and home to over 20 per cent of the national
flock). Further reduction of the national flock would raise the price of local sheepmeat relative to
chicken and pork; and further discourage local consumption of sheepmeat. A reduction in the national
flock could lessen the feed grain demand of the sheep industry. However, record saleyard prices for
sheep and sustained high prices for wool in recent years provide strong price incentives for farmers
to increase their production of sheepmeat and wool, suggesting a gradual rebuild of Australia’s sheep
flock (Figure 13), even against the backdrop of uncertainty surrounding live sheep exports.
CattleSheep
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1974-75
1976-77
1978-79
1980-81
1982-83
1984-85
1986-87
1988-89
1990-91
1992-93
1994-95
1996-97
1998-99
2000-01
2002-03
2004-05
2006-07
2008-09
2010-11
2012-13
2014-15
2016-17
Number of animals (million)
Figure 13
Size of Australia’s cattle herd and sheep flock since 1974/75
Source: Based on data in ABARES (2018)
Similarly, the national beef herd has been remarkably stable (Figure 13), yet a lift in cattle meat prices
on export and local markets in recent years is providing a strong incentive to increase the size of the
national herd. Towards 2030, for both sheep and beef, the likely prospect is for a very gradual re-build
of national stock numbers. Consequently, the additional demand for feed grain in beef and sheep
production will be moderate. Currently feed grain use for beef and sheep production is 3.91mmt and
0.31mmt respectively (Table 2). By 2030, a 10 per cent increase in the beef and sheep population in
Australia will create additional demand for feed grains of around 0.33mmt and 0.03mmt respectively.
The demand for feed grains in the sheep industry may increase if there is a stronger focus on lamb
production with finishing of lambs using grain-feeding.
For dairying, two-thirds of Australia’s milk output comes from Victoria and nationally, cow numbers
and milk output have been mostly constant at around 1.62 million and 9,360 million litres respectively.
Per capita consumption of fresh milk is stable at around 102 litres per person per annum, and cheese,
butter and yoghurt consumption is increasing gradually. Even with further growth in Australia’s
population and some further increase in the per capita consumption of some dairy products, the
feed use by Australian dairying is not expected to change substantially. In 2017/18 feed grain use was
2.63mmt. If feed grain use towards 2030 does increase in dairying then the estimates of the exportable
surplus of Australian grain reported below will be even lower, assuming there is no increased
importation of feed grains.
Accounting for all the above-mentioned trends and influences likely to affect the domestic demand
for feed grain then, by 2030, the demand for feed grains in Australia is likely to increase by between
2.24mmt and 2.48mmt. Of course, in some years, due to drought, larger volumes of feed grains will be
required to support beef cattle, dairying and extensive sheep grazing enterprises.
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Local demand for food grains
towards 2030
Towards 2030, complementing the local feed grain demand will be local demand for grain as a food
ingredient. Grains are used in breakfast cereals, snack bars, for the manufacture of bread, cakes,
biscuits, pastries, in domestic and retail food preparation, as malt for beer, as cooking oils and as
meal ingredients (e.g. pulses). Currently about 3.03mmt and 1mmt of grain are used in Australia for
flour milling and malt production respectively. Of the 0.9mmt of malt annually produced in Australia
(Barley Australia, 2019) only about 0.23mmt is used domestically, so about 0.67mmt of malt is
exported (or approximately 0.76mmt of barley grain equivalent. See ABARES (2019)). Almost all
flour produced in Australia is consumed domestically. Australia usually exports 23kt of wheat flour
and imports 19 to 27kt of wheat flour each year. Assuming per capita consumption of flour and
malt remains unchanged in Australia towards 2030, then the increase in Australia’s population will
require an additional 0.64mmt to 0.77mt of grain for flour and malt production.
Future grain production
Feasible scenarios for grain production towards 2030 are a function of areas sown to each type of
crop and the likely yields of these crops. Yield trajectories are in turn a function of climate change
and associated seasonal conditions, genetic and agronomic improvement and farmers’ crop input
applications. The relative profitability of each crop type depends on several additional factors
including the value of the Australian dollar relative to the US dollar and currencies of other grain
exporters, the costliness of Australia’s grain supply chains, competitors’ abilities to cheaply produce
and market their grain, and grain consumption trends within and outside of Australia.
Can Australia’s grain industry satisfy the increasing local demand for feed and human consumption
grain whilst also maintaining or growing its grain export markets? Figure 14 reveals that crop
production in Australia since the late 1980s has increased by about 2.4 per cent per annum.
However, the bulk of the increase in grain production has been attributable to an increase in
the area sown to crops, with crop yields only increasing by 0.6 per cent per annum. Despite the
agronomic improvement in varieties attributable to the commendable work of plant breeders, the
frequency of poor years since the late 1980s has often curtailed yield upside and lessened many
farmers’ abilities to increase input use.
Towards 2030 the increase in crop area is expected to be modest so crop production increase will
be increasingly reliant on yield increase. If the historically observed rate of yield increase was to
continue, and assuming slightly more land was allocated to cropping (i.e. 24.5 million hectares),
then crop production would be about 54.61mmt by 2030, an increase of 5.65mmt.
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Australia’s Grain Outlook 2030
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y = 1.5449e
0.0062x
R
2
= 0.0691
y = 23.556e
0.0236x
R
2
= 0.4562
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90
1990-91
1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
Crop yield (t/ha)
Crop production (mmt)
Crop production
Exponent (Crop yield)
Crop yield
Exponent (Crop production)
Figure 14
Crop production and crop yield in Australia since 1987/78
Source: Based on data in ABARES (2018)
Australia’s exportable surplus
of grain towards 2030
In summary, the estimated increase in domestic demand for feed grain in 2030 requires an
additional 2.24mmt to 2.48mmt, assuming no additional volumes of feed grains are imported and
assuming pork importation continues. In addition, local flour milling and malt production, to serve
the growing domestic market, will require access to an additional 0.64mmt to 0.77mmt of wheat
and barley.
The estimated increase in grain production in Australia by 2030 is 5.65mmt, of which only 2.4mmt to
2.77mmt is available for export. An important implication is that Australia’s domestic requirements
for grain will become increasingly important, especially in eastern Australia where most of the
population increase and greater demand for feed grains, flour and malt will occur. Australia’s
domestic market will consume over half of all the increase in Australia’s grain production towards
2030. The domestic market’s increased grain demand mostly will be for feeding animals.
Given the spatial distribution of grain production and population in Australia, grain production in
eastern Australia is likely to focus increasingly on domestic feed market opportunities. By contrast,
in less populous regions like South Australia and Western Australia the focus will remain on export
markets, supplemented by opportunistic grain sales to eastern Australia, generated by adverse
seasonal conditions in eastern Australia.
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In Australia, future domestic demand for grain and the future supply of grain are not closely
spatially aligned, principally due to three-quarters of Australia’s population residing in eastern
Australia. The growing relative importance of the east coast demand for grain towards 2030 can be
illustrated by assuming that three quarters of the additional demand for feed grains in Australia will
come from the east coast and the same proportion would apply to grain required for flour and malt
production. This would mean that by 2030 an additional 2.16mmt to 2.44mmt would be demanded
by the east coast domestic market. If eastern Australia maintains its share of Australian grain
production towards 2030, then the additional grain production in eastern Australia will be 2.71mmt.
In other words, almost all of the additional grain production in eastern Australia towards 2030 will
need to flow to the east coast domestic market to satisfy its demand for feed grain and grain for
food and beverage purposes.
By contrast, for Western Australia and South Australia, their States’ domestic demand only requires
between 0.72mmt and 0.81mmt to be produced, yet if these States retain their share of national
grain production then by 2030 they will produce an additional 2.94mmt. This means an additional
exportable surplus from these States of between 2.13mmt and 2.22mmt. This additional volume of
grain, able to flow to export markets, will help lower their regions’ unit supply chain costs, as those
costs are mostly volume-based.
Already the relative importance of feed grain demand in eastern Australia is seen in the share of
crops grown in eastern Australia versus Western Australia and South Australia (Figure 15). In eastern
Australia there is a greater production emphasis on coarse grains and pulses.
It will be interesting to see how farmers in eastern Australia respond to the change in market
conditions towards 2030. The production and storage of feed grains is likely to become
commercially more attractive, especially while interest rates remain low. Wheat’s share of the
crop mix may lessen, and the types of wheat grown may change. The likelihood of little additional
exportable grain surpluses being produced in eastern Australia towards 2030 has other important
implications for the use and ownership of export infrastructure (e.g. export grain terminals) and
road and rail services to ports. The inland rail, due for completion around 2025, could play a key
role in facilitating regional grain flow to ease drought impacts.
Worth noting is how the export quality of Australia’s main export crop, wheat, may change towards
2030. If eastern Australia increasingly focuses on feed grain production and the domestic food
market, then an increasing proportion of the nation’s wheat exports are likely to come from
increased wheat production in Western Australia and South Australia. These States produce a
different mix of wheat classes to eastern Australia and so the export quality profile of Australian
wheat will alter. Australia is unlikely, for example, to be a reliable exporter of increasing volumes of
high protein wheat (APH and AH classes). By contrast, greater export volumes of APW and ASW are
likely to be available from Western Australia and South Australia.
Coarse grains
East coast
(NSW, Qld and Vic)
Wheat
Pulses
Oilseeds
WA and SA
Figure 15
The mix of crops in eastern Australia (NSW, QLD, Vic) versus WA and SA — based on the 5-year average
2013/14 to 2017/18
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Caveats
The assumption of increases in grain yields commensurate with the rate observed since the late
1980s is a bold assumption, given the projections for further adverse climate change affecting
crop production, especially in southern Australia. Hochman et al. (2017), for example, examined
simulated wheat yields at sites across Australia with high quality weather data and found that the
water-limited yield potential at those sites declined by an average 27% over a 26 year period from
1990 to 2015. Importantly, they found that despite the adverse trend in climate, an unprecedented
rate of technology-driven gains was closing the gap between actual and water-limited potential
yields by 25kg/ha/yr and so expected yield decline was not observed in practice. In addition, some
clearly superior, higher yielding crop varieties have been bred and widely adopted over the last
decade. Whether towards 2030 on-going plant breeding and agronomic improvements more than
offset the projected adverse trend in climate in Australia’s grain-growing regions is unknown.
Although Hochman et al. (2017) identified that the yield gap is closing in Australia, nonetheless
in a separate study Hochman and Horan (2018) found that further agronomic practice change by
Australian farmers could potentially further lift wheat yields. They identified sub-optimal practices
in fertiliser applications, tillage, weed control and the timeliness of crop sowing. Addressing these
inadequacies could increase crop yields towards 2030.
Stephens (2017) examined the projected adverse trend in climate. He reviewed weather station
historical data across Australia and concluded that a shift is occurring in Australia’s climatic zones.
He identified the following shifts across Australia (see Figure 16):
• The summer dominant rainfall region has shifted south from near Longreach to Charleville,
• The summer rainfall zone has shifted south from Gunnedah towards Dubbo,
• The uniform rainfall zone has shifted southwest from southern New South Wales into central
Victoria, while in Western Australia the uniform rainfall zone has shifted west from Kalgoorlie to
Southern Cross.
• The winter rainfall zone in the southwest of Western Australia has shifted southwest leaving a
smaller winter dominant zone along the west coast.
The ramification of these spatial shifts in climatic classes is greater crop intensification in southern
and more coastal regions and a more variable grain production in the drier, marginal parts of
Australia’s grain belt. The aggregate impact of these shifts, when combined with plant breeding
improvements and technology innovation towards 2030, is difficult to gauge. What is certain is that
yield improvement will be increasingly difficult due to the decline in growing season rainfall and
more frequent extreme temperatures during grain-filling in many traditional grain-growing regions
of Australia.
Other important caveats arise from uncertainty in the magnitude of demand for feed grains in key
sectors like the beef and dairy sector. Seasonal conditions and expansion or contraction in export
market opportunities can greatly alter the demand for feed grains in these sectors. Exactly how those
important influences may change towards 2030 is not known, suffice to say that their use of feed
grain is expected to expand rather than contract, restricting the volume of grain available for export.
Lastly, an important assumption underlying the estimates of the exportable surplus at 2030 is that
Australia will not increase its importation of feed grains, mostly soybean meal. If Australia does
increase both its grain production and feed grain imports, then more grain will be available for
export than estimated in this report.
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Figure 16
The spatial shift in Australia’s climate classes
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References
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abares/research-topics/agricultural-commodities/agricultural-commodities-trade-data#2018
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abares/research-topics/agricultural-commodities/agricultural-commodities-trade-data#australian-
crop-report-data
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Appendix One
Feed grain calculation for additional chicken meat production in 2030
(Population in 2030 minus population in 2018) * per capita consumption in 2030 (i.e. kg/person)
* feed required to produce a kilogram of carcass weight
= (29.17-25.1)*55*2.4/1000
Plus
Population in 2018 * increase in per capita consumption in 2030 vs 2018 (i.e. kg/person)
* feed required to produce a kilogram of carcass weight
= 25.1*(55-48.8)*2.4/1000
Feed grain calculation for additional pork production in 2030
In recent years 70% of domestic pork consumption (i.e. including processed meats) has come
from net imports so far less domestic feed grains have been required to support Australians’
pork consumption than might otherwise be envisaged. Towards 2030 we assume a greater role for
domestic pork production such that 50% of the potentially required additional feed grain will be
required relative to the case where Australia was self-sufficient in pork production.
((Population in 2030 minus population in 2018) * per capita consumption in 2030 (i.e. kg/person)
* feed required to produce a kilogram of carcass weight) * 0.5
= ((29.17-25.1)*33*5/1000) * 0.5
Plus
Population in 2018 * increase in per capita consumption in 2030 vs 2018 (i.e. kg/person)
* feed required to produce a kilogram of carcass weight
= (25.1*(33-28)*5/1000) * 0.5
Feed grain calculation for additional egg production in 2030
(Population in 2030 minus population in 2018) * per capita consumption in 2030 (i.e. eggs/person)
* weight of an egg (kg) * feed required to produce a kilogram of eggs
= (29.17-25.1)*(255)*(50/1000)*2.3/1000
Plus
Population in 2018 * increase in per capita consumption in 2030 vs 2018 (i.e. eggs/person)
* weight of an egg (kg) * feed required to produce a kilogram of eggs
= 25.1*(255-245)*(50/1000)*2.3/1000
