Drought forces Australia to import wheat for first time in a decade

Widespread drought has forced Australia to make a rare purchase of Canadian grain – its first wheat import in more than a decade.

Australia is starting to import some wheat
as its crop has been impacted by the drought.

An Australian importer was issued a permit to ship bulk wheat from Canada, the Australian Department of Agriculture & Water Resources said on its website on Tuesday, after local crops were ravaged by the lack of rain.

The permit is for a single shipment, which is expected to arrive in six to eight weeks.

Read the story from The Age by Ashley Robinson - “Drought forces Australia to import wheat for first time in a decade.”

The Driven Podcast: Chief scientist Alan Finkel on battery EVs and fuel cell EVs

Australia’s chief scientist Alan Finkel has had a close connection to electric vehicles for more than a decade.

He was the chief technology officer for the Better Place, the ambitious company that imagined swapping battery packs in standard models, but whose ambition was run over by the fall in the battery costs.

Finkel owns two electric vehicles of his own – a Nissan Leaf and a Tesla – and loves them. “It’s so much more exciting” driving an EV, he says. “You feel so much more connected than in a petrol power vehicle.”

Read/listen to the RenewEconomy story/podcast - “The Driven Podcast: Chief scientist Alan Finkel on battery EVs and fuel cell EVs."