The Australian wool production forecast Committee said that due to the low rainfall in eastern and southern Australia and the lower weight of its hairs, the quality wool in Australia is still in short supply.

　　委員會(huì)還預(yù)計(jì)，2009/10供應(yīng)不會(huì)反彈。委員會(huì)修正今年的澳大利亞剪羊毛生產(chǎn)預(yù)測(cè)，為355 mkg含油脂毛，較12月預(yù)測(cè)下調(diào)15 mkg，較2007/08年減少10.5%。

Russell Pattinson, chairman of the committee, said: "in the past 3 months, the southeastern part of Australia is very dry, which is the main reason for the downward revision of production." (Russo Patty Sen)

He said: "the sheep structure has undergone a significant pformation. The proportion of ewes and lambs is larger, and the proportion of eunuch rams is very small. This means that even if the precipitation and seasonal conditions are reasonable, the weight of the hairs is still below the historical level.

"Another factor identified by the National Committee is that because of the marked increase in fertilizer prices, pasture reduces the use of chemical fertilizers and the carrying capacity of pastures decreases," he said.

The Commission also announced the first prediction for 2009/10, and 2009-2010 sheared production will drop by about 6% to 335 mkg of non skimmed wool.

"The Committee expects that the number of sheep will be low in early 2009-2010, even if the normal winter scissors and normal rainfall cover the entire Australian wool production area," Mr. Pattison said.

"The recent price of wool is lower than that of mutton and lambs, which has led the sheep farmers to make a new choice. However, from a positive perspective, Australian farmers mostly regard Merino sheep and ewes as their business bases.

According to the DAFWA survey, 67% Merino ewes will mate with Merino rams this year. Once Australia's seasonal conditions improve, the price of wool will rise again, which will help the recovery of Australian wool industry.

Editor in chief: Xu Qiyun