Australia's winter wheat harvest is in full swing, with around 20 percent of a moderately large crop expected to be in the bins by the end of the week. Recent rain across the cropping belt had slowed the harvest in some areas, but was not causing major problems as good quality grain came in from the fields, national wheat exporter AWB Ltd told Reuters on Wednesday.
"Quality is very good. With good weather we'd expect the harvest to progress rapidly," AWB spokesman Ryan McKinlay said. Grain test weights are high, moisture low and protein high.
The harvest is expected to leave Australia as the second largest wheat exporter in the world, in stiff competition with leader the United States for markets in Asia and the Middle East.
AWB said on Friday said it was maintaining its forecast of the crop at 21 to 24 million tonnes and would not follow recent downgrades to around 20 million tonnes by private forecasters and traders because of hot dry weather followed by rain.