Posted by kathryn in Shopping Basket and Sustainablity

Over the weekend it was announced that 93.6% of NSW has been declared a drought zone. This means that only 2.7% of the state is considered unaffected . The area has increased from last month, when 89.3% of the state was drought affected and is higher than Queensland, where 61% is considered to be in drought.

This has further increased the likelihood of food price increases, including meat, vegetables, bread and milk. The ABC reported :

The Queensland Farming Federation’s John Cherry says the drought will push up the price of dairy and poultry as grain production decreases.

“There’s an acute shortage right across the board,” he said.

“If you look at grains, in particular the New South Wales grains crop has been slashed but so has the Queensland grain crop, other than parts of central Queensland.

“So we’re looking at substantial increases in grains prices which will significantly impact on intensive animal industries such as dairy, such as poultry, such as pork production.”

The four-year drought is now one of the worst in history and given we’re rolling into a dry, hot summer there is little likelihood it will ease until the middle of next year.

Dam capacity across NSW currently stands at about 26%, compared to 54% at the same time last year.

For news reports check here , here and here .

Technorati tags: food prices , drought , Water , weather , rainfall , rain , australia .

13 November, 2006