CENTRAL Victorian farmers face an uncertain export market as planes are grounded and borders close.
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But industry figures remain optimistic about the state of the stock and wool trade.
Some say central Victorian producers are in a relatively good position compared to drought-stricken neighbours in northern states.
Elders District Wool Manager Adam Millard said greasy wool prices had dropped 10-15 per cent in Australia last week.
Mr Millard said three quarters of the region's wool went to China, where it was used in-country or exported to Europe or America.
He said coronavirus meant markets were closed and wool was hard to ship across borders.
But he said most farmers were in a position to hold onto wool and ride out the market drop.
"We've seen some sizable falls in the last three weeks. Prior to that the market had been decreasing off record highs for some types," Mr Millard said.
"So the market has been coming off for almost 10 months, 12 months. That rate of fall has increased over the last 3 weeks."
Farmer to the west of Elmore David Johnson said the only cloud in the silver lining of recent heavy rains was uncertain export markets.
He said wool prices had gone down in recent weeks.
"When the rest of the world's in trouble, it's nice to be an island, but you've still got to trade," Mr Johnson said.
"Export is the thing that we rely on, and that the country relies on. They talk about food production and making sure there's enough food here. But this country relies on exports."
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Bendigo Stock Agents Association president Richard Leitch said the pandemic hadn't had any effect on lamb prices.
He said demand for export cattle had dropped with pubs and restaurants closed worldwide, but that was not a major central Victorian industry.
Mr Leitch said not much produce was getting out of the country with flights grounded.
But he said the situation would improve when the federal government's stimulus package got flights up and running.
"What we are hearing is great demand for protein, countries screaming for it, it's just getting it there," Mr Leitch said.
"The demand is there. It's purely and simply the logistics of getting there, that's the problem."
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