Australian canola growers produced over 2 million tonnes of canola in the 2019-20 financial year with a farm gate (local) value of $1.2 billion, according to new experimental estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Rob Walter, Director of ABS Agricultural Statistical Solutions said: "the increased regional detail available through these new experimental estimates highlights the Esperance Region in Western Australia as the highest canola producing area in the country. The Esperance Region produced 267,000 tonnes of canola in 2019-20, more than twice the amount of canola produced by its nearest rival, the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia which produced 120,000 tonnes."
These experimental estimates are the product of a collaboration using existing government and industry data in combination with satellite crop maps.
"This new method means that over time the ABS will be able to reduce the number of survey forms sent to farmers. This approach will also enable the ABS to release canola data at the Statistical Area 2 level more frequently, without the need to conduct the Agricultural Census" Mr Walter said.
An interactive canola map has been included with the main release, highlighting the largest canola producing regions across Australia. These are mostly distributed throughout Western Australia.
The ABS is extending this work to other agricultural commodities, building on previous experimental work with Sugarcane. We look forward to working with industry and government partners to continue adapting this approach.
