THE nation is on track to plant an impressive 23.48-million-hectare winter crop this year - up slightly on last year’s crop area - Rabobank says in its newly released 2023/24 Australian Winter Crop Outlook.

But while area under crop remains high - projected at approximately 0.3 per cent above last year and five per cent above the five-year average - overall harvest totals are forecast to be lower than last season, with expectations of drier growing conditions due to the likely transition to an El Nino climate cycle, the specialist agribusiness bank says.