THE amount of summer rain producers received will be the key determinant of success for mungbean growers.
While growers can do nothing about the rain, they can find some comfort in prices remaining strong.
Agrifoods senior trader Andrew Webster, Dalby, Queensland, said the exact amount of mungbeans planted in Australia this year was unknown, as growers planted a large amount of retained seed from previous years.
Until four to five weeks ago, Mr Webster said this year's mungbean crop had the potential to be almost twice as large as the previous largest Australian crop, but floods in Central Queensland and lack of rain in south-east Queensland and northern NSW significantly impacted estimates.
Mr Webster said many NSW growers planted crops in January, with few crops being sown since.
He also reported good demand for Australian mungbeans from India and increased demand from Asia and China.
"They're quite large buyers now," he said.
As a whole, the global supply of edible pulses was reasonably tight, which was why Mr Webster said prices had exceeded the 10-year average by $400 a tonne.
Currently, prices for base graded mungbeans are beyond $1000/t with significant increases for processing and No.1 grades, which has given great incentive to producers.
Mr Webster said the season had been good for mungbean production, although producers have had more insect sprays than usual.
"We've been getting dribs and drabs of rain and not too much heat," he said.
"We've had reports from growers who have sprayed for insects multiple times and they have commented pressure seems to be higher than in normal years."
McGregor Gourlay agronomist Sam Gulliford, Belatta, said mungbeans around the region had been a mixed bag, depending on the summer rain producers received.
Mr Gulliford said some crops went in on long fallows and had good summer rain, others went in to a double crop and had missed most of the rain.
As a result there were some that looked good and others that would just scrape through, he said.
Most of the mungbean crops in the Moree region were planted between Christmas and January 15, with only a few producers going in earlier than Christmas.
"Most people would have put them in during the first and second week of January," Mr Gulliford said.
He said it would be hard to determine the quality of crops until harvest, but suspected most crops would make processing, or No.1 grade.
"Most of the insect control has been pretty good, which is fairly bearing on quality," he said.
"I think the quality would be pretty good from what I can see now."
Quirindi agronomist Pete McKenzie said the quality of mungbeans in his area would also depend on how much rain producers had received during summer.
"Anything with pretty marginal moisture, that went on a double crop is struggling," he said.
Mr McKenzie said most producers across the Liverpool Plains would have planted their mungbean crops around Christmas time, after sorghum planting.
He did not think many producers would have forward sold their crop due to risk, but most were confident prices would hold at harvest.
Pulse Australia industry development manager Tim Weaver, Wee Waa, said crops across his region were varied and producers were expecting a hot finish.
"It will be 40 degrees by the end of this week, so moisture has been limited in some cases," he said.
Any mungbeans planted during spring have been harvested now and Mr Weaver said most of those graded well.
Crops planted in December are starting to finish, where those planted in January still had a way to go before desiccation.
With rain predicted for the weekend, Mr Weaver said later planted crops could still benefit from more moisture, although for producers desiccating, rain could be inconvenient.
Risk minimisation at Narrabri
PLANTING mungbeans this summer was a gamble which could still pay for Narrabri farmer David Meppem, "Merinda West".
Mr Meppem (pictured) planted 200 hectares of irrigated mungbeans on the farm he leases with his wife, Loretta.
The Meppems intended to plant 100ha of mungbeans, as they would have needed to give the crop a flush of water to get it going.
However, after the first 100ha were planted, they received 30 millimetres of rain which germinated the crop, so they were able to plant another 100ha with the remaining water.
Since it was planted, Mr Meppem said they have had enough water to give the crop two irrigations, but they won't do anymore before harvest.
Although the crop was planted on a reasonable moisture profile, it has had very little in-crop rain.
Mr Meppem said he's also had to spray the crop for mirids and heliothis, as well as a fungicide spray to control mildew.
To minimise the price risk, Mr Meppem usually sells his crop to the one trader for a flat price, regardless of the quality.
Once Mr Meppem has his crop to a certain stage, the trader is able to come and inspect it and offer him a price that is usually slightly lower than what other producers could get.
The trader then has to pay Mr Meppem the set price for what goes over the weighbridge, regardless of the crop's grade.
"That way we both take a bit of the risk," Mr Meppem said.
