The worst drought in over 100 years continues to wreak havoc on Australia’s agriculture, with water-thirsty crops like cotton and rice struggling for even minimal planting.

Exceptionally dry conditions in most major cropping areas of north Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria mean that winter crop production is estimated to be significantly lower than mid 2007 expectations.

However sorghum, a grain used primarily as cattle feed, has proved an exception in recent times.

Southern Queensland and northern New South Wales have experienced above average rainfall during the months of October and November and as a result a large area of sorghum has been planted.

It’s forecast that 795,000 hectares of sorghum will be planted during the 2007 and 2008 financial year, 74 per cent more than the area sown last year, according to the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics’ Australian crop report.

This planting is likely to produce double the amount of sorghum to that produced last year, or over two million tonnes. While the bumper crop may ease the tight supply situation in eastern Queensland, other crops continue to struggle.

The lack of irrigation water is forecast to severely constrain the area planted to cotton and rice.

The area planted to rice during the 2008 financial year is estimated to be just 2000ha, 88 per cent below the area planted last financial year.

The area sown to cotton is forecast to decline by 61 per cent to around 56 thousand hectares this financial year, the smallest in 30 years.