Ministerial Statement

Grain Harvest

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: As farmers know, you cannot count the harvest until it is in the silos. The final results are in, and South Australia's grain growers are to be congratulated on delivering a record-breaking grain harvest. They have produced a whopping 11.1 million tonne crop this 2016-17 season. The outstanding harvest beats the previous record of 10.3 million tonnes set five years ago.

It is incredible to see just how much grain our farmers have produced, particularly given the challenge of extreme weather conditions faced by our state last year with strong winds, hail and heavy rain hitting most of the agricultural districts. The grain industry is one of the largest export industries in South Australia and a major contributor to the state's food and agricultural exports, which generated $4.6 billion in 2015-16.

Grains harvested are processed and packaged to produce a wide variety of consumer-ready items such as bread, noodles, pasta, breakfast cereals and biscuits, as well as alcoholic beverages, including beer and malt whiskey. This season's grain crop is worth around $2.2 billion at the farm gate. We have officially broken the yield records for wheat, barley, lentils and hay. South Australia really is on the pulse. We are now the largest lentil producing and exporting state in the country, bringing in 448,000 tonnes of lentils this season worth an estimated $260 million at the farm gate.

One in five working South Australians is employed in the agribusiness sector, and more than 12,000 people are employed in the grain industry directly in production as well as indirectly in supporting roles such as the storage and handling sector, farm advisers, chemical fertiliser resellers, agricultural aviation and fuel suppliers. This year, more than 2,500 casuals were employed to help manage the record harvest.

Our grain farmers are a vital part of the state's economy. In 2015-16, they generated $4.4 billion in revenue, and around 85 per cent of their grain was exported to countries including Indonesia, China and Vietnam. I thank Viterra for doing such a fantastic job in working with the industry to prepare for this bumper harvest, boosting its storage, handling and shipping capacity, and taking on extra workers.

In addition to ideal rainfall and growing conditions through most of the year, our high crop yields are also the result of the investments farmers are making in innovation, new and emerging technologies and the adoption of smarter farm management practices. In 2016, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) entered a $50 million bilateral agreement with the Grains Research and Development Corporation to secure the future of grain industry research in South Australia, focusing on programs of state and national importance, including farming systems for low to medium rainfall areas, crop protection and crop improvement.

While seasonal conditions will always have an effect on yields, innovative cropping and pasture management are important to unlock productivity and help our industry build a stronger competitive advantage. Whether you live in the city or in the country, everyone in South Australia benefits when our farmers produce great crops. I send my sincere thanks and congratulations to all those people involved in the grain industries for their tremendous efforts this year.