Economics

Drought Forces Australia to Make Rare Import of Canada Wheat

  • Prolonged dryness cripples grain crops in Eastern Australia
  • Government has issued import permit for one shipment

A farmer operates a combine harvester while harvesting hard red spring wheat near Winkler, Manitoba, Canada, on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. 

Photographer: Shannon VanRaes/Bloomberg
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As a drought ravages crops in Australia, normally the biggest wheat exporter in the Southern Hemisphere, the country is preparing to make a rare purchase of Canadian grain.

An importer was issued a permit to ship bulk wheat from Canada, the Australian Department of Agriculture & Water Resources said on its website Tuesday. The permit is for a single shipment, which is expected to arrive in six to eight weeks.