WA Agricultural Growth and the State Economy Research Report Volume 2

The impact of state and national policies on the Western Australian (WA) agriculture can not be assessed realistically unless the distinctive characteristics of WA agriculture are taken into account. The objective of this paper is to develop and document an economic information base for WA agriculture by identifying and exploring the main characteristics of its production systems. The study reveals that agriculture plays a more important role in WA than in the rest of Australia (ROA). The share of WA in the national gross value of agricultural production and exports is much higher than her share in the national gross domestic product. The structure of agriculture in terms of product mix is different for WA than for other states in Australia. The farm structure and the overall farming practices in WA are also different from the ROA. The production concentration and product-mix of WA agriculture seem to be very much influenced by the rainfall patterns and topographic conditions