Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Prospects for winter grain output in parts of Australia, the world’s fourth-largest exporter of wheat, have been aided by recent rain in some regions as farmers prepare to start the harvest.

The southeast of the country and southwest Western Australia had widespread rainfall exceeding 15 millimeters (0.6 inch) in the week to Sept. 29, the Bureau of Meteorology said on its Web site yesterday. Some areas had as much 50 millimeters, a map of the bureau’s Web site shows.

Rain in September is crucial for grain growers in Australia to boost yields of wheat, barley and canola crops before the harvest, which begins as early as next month. Winter output of all grains may total about 36 million metric tons, with wheat accounting for 22.7 million tons, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics forecast in September.

“Recent rainfall in southern Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria will go a long way to helping secure winter crop production in those regions,” Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s agri-commodity strategist Luke Mathews wrote in an e-mailed note today.

To contact the reporter on this story: Madelene Pearson in Melbourne on mpearson1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 29, 2009 20:53 EDT