Sydney, Oct 10: The best seasonal rain in years had reduced the area under drought in the Australian state of New South Wales, Agriculture Minister Richard Amery said last Friday. The area of the state considered in drought was now nine percent while seven per cent was marginal, he said in a statement.This left 84 per cent of the state satisfactory. Many producers on the north coast of the state were experiencing one of the best seasons for a number of years, he said.
Widespread rainfall over the past weekend would help fill ripening canola and grain crops and put extra weight into advanced crops in the sheep/wheat belt, he said. "The state's cereal and oilseed farmers can now look forward to bumper yields," he said.
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