Drought drives Aussie crop production down

Eastern Australia's devastating drought has helped drive down the nation's winter crop, which is set to decrease by 12 per cent.

Total winter crop production is expected to drop by 12 per cent nationally to 33.2 million tonnes, with production declines forecast in all eastern states, according to the federal agriculture forecaster.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics' latest crop report comes as large swathes of Queensland and New South Wales deal with crippling drought.

ABARES executive director Steve Hatfield-Dodds said well below average production is expected in those states because of unfavourable seasonal conditions in most cropping regions.

"The very poor conditions in most cropping regions in NSW and Queensland have been partly offset by forecast above-average yields in Western Australia, following favourable rainfall in late autumn and winter," Dr Hatfield-Dodds said.

Production in Queensland and New South Wales is forecast to be 38 and 46 per cent below 2017/18 respectively, while production in Western Australia is forecast to be 12 per cent higher.

In WA, late autumn rainfall and favourable winter falls have yields expected to be above average.

Southern regions in South Australia had yield prospects boosted by rain in August, but the north wasn't as lucky.

Dr Hatfield-Dodds said Victoria's Mallee region suffered unfavourable conditions over winter, but the Wimmera and other parts of the state's west fared better.