El Niño could make things worse for drought-stricken farmers

Despite welcome rain across much of the country in recent weeks, it’s too little, too late for many Australian farmers struggling to plant winter crops, especially wheat. High diesel and fertilizer prices due to the Iran war squeezed farmers from all sides, and a hot, dry summer led to a dramatic drop in soil moisture levels.

The collision of high prices and bad weather forecasts was clearly revealed in a report by the UN World Meteorological Organization. official warning Last week, the probability of an El Niño event occurring in June-August was around 80%.