WA farmers nation’s most bullish

Western Australian farmers are twice as likely as other states to hire new staff this year, according to a report released by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

The ‘Agri Insights’ report, which is formulated by a survey of farmers, said around 10 per cent of WA farmers intended to hire staff, compared with a national average of 5 per cent.

CBA general manager (regional and agribusiness banking WA) Natasha Greenwood said increased staffing would reflect a trend towards higher production.

“The Asian dining boom will propel demand for Australian product, resulting in more export opportunities for food producers," she said.

“The strong investment intentions across Western Australia are good news for the industry and do reflect the impact of solid commodity prices and ongoing global demand.

“At the same time, what we’re seeing in the state is something of a tale of north and south.

“Producers based south of Perth and around Albany, Katanning and Esperance are faring quite well, but conditions are a little tougher around the Gascoyne and Northern Agricultural areas.”

The bank’s report also found animal health and crop improvement would be the key issues for WA farmers to improve profitability in the coming year.

Nationally, dairy and sugar cane were the two industries most bullish, while cotton was likely to contract. with water access problems and weaker prices.

Sheep farmers are likely to build stock while wool farmers will leave production unchanged, the report said.

Both are major agricultural exports for WA.