Australia's eastern states can look forward for their winter crops best ever start in several years as the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics (ABARE) reported in its latest forecast that March and May saw the most widespread above-average rainfall since 2003.

The report also said that all but some few cropping regions got more than a hundred percent of their long-term average rainfall though the agency said more rain is required to wrap up planting in some regions and to maintain soil moisture as the crops are being nurtured and grown.

On the other hand, Western Australia faces the prospect of negative winter crops thanks to extended dryness being felt in the region as ABARE noted that the state contributed about 36 percent to Australia's total winter crop production last season and it warned that weather conditions for the next few should be crucial.

ABARE spokesman Paul Morris also noted that a significant locust outbreak in the eastern states during the summer and autumn conditions destroyed many early sown crops and "the effects of the outbreak on the winter crop will not be known until spring but there is the potential for mass hatchings and consequent crop damage."

Experts also believed that notwithstanding the encouraging start of the season, crop plantings could be slowed down by softer wheat and barley prices as predictions are also out that the country's total area of winter crops sown would plunge by one percent to 22.1 million hectares in 2010/11.