The Australian Government has warned its forthcoming summer harvest could be the worst in 20 years, because of the droughts that have already devastated winter crops.

The Australian Agriculture Bureau said there had been a 40% drop in the area sown between October and March with summer crops including cotton, the animal fodder sorghum and rice.

It also cut further its forecast for the country's big export and main winter crop, wheat, which is now being harvested.

The warning comes just days after the government announced more financial aid to farmers and cut its national economic growth forecast from 3.75% to 3%.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service