Fed: Higher food prices likely due to drought

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2007
Fed: Higher food prices likely due to drought

Australians are today waking up to the prospect of significantly higher food prices
because water for irrigation in the nation's food bowl has run out.

JOHN HOWARD announced the bad news yesterday .. warning unless there is significant
rainfall within weeks .. irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin won't be allocated any
water for their crops.

Rice .. canola .. lucerne .. wheat .. barley .. cotton .. stone fruits .. apples and
grapes are all grown in the basin .. which accounts for 41 per cent of Australia's food
production.

But years of harsh drought have caused irrigation ditches across the basin to dry up
and not enough rain has fallen in the northern channel country to see any flow south.

The PM says the situation is unprecedentedly dangerous.

AAP RTV pv/wz/wf

KEYWORD: WATER (CANBERRA)

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