Food prices to soar as drought-ravaged farmers prepare for more pain NSW is among the worst areas affected by drought. FOOD prices are expected to soar within months without a downpour over drought-ravaged NSW as farmers across the state's parched outback are warned of more pain this year. Fruit vegetables, grain, beef, lamb and canola as well as cotton are all tipped to rise within six months after the last half of last year produced the 12th-worst six-monthly rainfall for the state since 1900. The prediction from farmers comes as the Abbott government admits NSW is among the worst areas impacted and likely to be influenced at the supermarket checkout. Cash-strapped farmers want an extension of a current government loan scheme to make bigger loans over a longer period of up to 20 years in line with natural disaster relief assistance as they call for drought to be treated more like cyclones or floods. NSW Farmers president Fiona Simson yesterday said many farmers had sold right down to their core breeding herd, making it hard to turn out beef. "Potentially there is a risk of a price impact if this goes on too much longer," she said of the range of foods. Some of these areas are 12 months into this and the next six to 12 months will be critical for these producers. It will affect fruit and vegetables first. Meat may take a little longer. Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said through a spokesman that an ongoing agriculture white paper was examining the access for farmers to investment finance, farm debt levels and debt sustainability. North-west NSW farmer Peter Rees on his property, reduced to a near moonscape. "In terms of food prices, the impact of the drought varies across the country," the spokesman said. Some parts of Australia are having record crops, but sadly parts of New South Wales and Queensland are experiencing extended dry conditions. BOM figures show NSW average rainfall more than halved in the last half of last year. A total of 463.9 mm fell on average state-wide over the whole year - 16 per cent below normal. But only 150.6 mm fell from July to December - 41 per cent below normal. In the worst hit areas, Bourke has endured its fifth driest year on record with only 132 mm last year. Walgett had its eighth-driest year on record with 248mm. BOM climatologist Dr Blair Trewin said the first quarter of this year had an outlook of a 70 per cent chance of below average rainfall. "So the outlook is leaning quite dry," he said. The state government said it does not declare drought in areas any more but its latest seasonal rains report shows 53 per cent of NSW received below average rainfall in November. "In relative terms, quarterly rainfall was below average across 71 per cent of NSW, covering most of the western and central areas," the Department of Primary Industries said. It was extremely low across an area extending from Tibooburra to the south and south east towards Hay and Deniliquin.