SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Wheat production in Australia fell to an 11-year low during the 2018-19 season, according to a recent report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES).

The final wheat harvest total for the year was 17.3 million tonnes, down from 21.2 million tonnes the previous year, according to ABARES.

It marks Australia’s smallest wheat crop since 2007-08, when output was 13.6 million tonnes.

The decline in production in 2018-19 was due to a drought that affected New South Wales and Queensland, two of the biggest grain-producing states in Australia, which is typically among the world’s top five wheat producers.

Lower Australian wheat production has provided key support for global benchmark prices, which rallied about 18% in 2018.

Wheat planting for the 2019-20 season will begin in April.