Sugar
Sugarcane is grown in a series of small regions along the tropical coast of Queensland, extending slightly across the border into northern New South Wales. A warm, wet climate is required for successful cultivation of sugarcane, so it is confined to parts of the coastal plain with good, deep soils and reliable rainfall. Australia is the world's third largest exporter of sugar. Sugar is grown on more than six thousand small, individually owned farms. Until the 1960's, cane was cut by hand. Now it is harvested mechanically and taken by light rail to a nearby mill. There are twenty-five mills in Queensland and three in New South Wales.
Fruit
Fruit growing has a long history in Australia and is strongly influenced by climatic considerations. In Queensland, tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and papaya (called pawpaw in Australia) are cultivated. In the cooler south, apples, peaches, apricots, cherries, and grapes are grown.
Grapes are grown for eating and are dried as raisins, but more important is wine production, especially in the Barossa Valley (South Australia), Hunter Valley (New South Wales), Margaret River area (Western Australia), and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and Riverina. John Macarthur, the founder
Of the Australian wool industry, established the first commercial vineyard, in New South Wales. Later European settlers planted vineyards in Victoria and South Australia. In the 1960's modern plantings and production methods were introduced. Australia has 242,060 acres (98,000 hectares) of vineyards and more than one thousand wineries. Wine is an important export for Australia, with the European Union purchasing 60 percent of wine exported.
Other Agricultural Products
Cotton is grown in drier interior parts of northern New South Wales and in part of central Queensland. Cotton is usually grown in conjunction with sheep farming, on family farms. Indonesia is the major customer for Australian cotton. Rice has been grown commercially in Australia since 1924, using irrigation. New South Wales is the main producer, where the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area dominates rice production. Australia exports most of its rice crop and in 1999 was the world's eighth-largest exporter of rice. Oats are grown where the climate is too cool and too moist for wheat. In Australia, this is in the interior southeast with a small area in Western Australia. This state and New South Wales are the biggest producers of oats, which is used mainly for livestock fodder.
Other agricultural products of Australia include barley, grain sorghum, corn, called maize in Australia, vegetables, including potatoes, peas, tomatoes, and beans, oil seeds such as sunflower, soybeans, and tea and coffee in northern Queensland. Australia is a major producer of honey, with more than eight hundred commercial apiarists. Blossoms of the eucalyptus tree produce distinctive tasting honey, which is sold mainly to European Union countries.
See also: Wheat
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