Milk production growth turns positive

摘要

Australian milk production for the 11 months to May was down around 4.5% on last year, at 8.4 billion litres. However, it returned to positive growth in the closing months of the season, after a series of monthly falls from the middle of 2009. The difficult cash flow conditions faced by dairy farmers in the southern region during 2009 limited their ability to respond positively to improving market signals in the first half of the current season. On the other hand, northern region farmers were still on supply contracts struck when prices were at or near record highs, so with improved seasonal conditions there was growth in milk production in the north.