Farmers stuck with a high dollar for years

The Australian dollar is likely to remain strong for up to five years, dampening the outlook for farm exports, the federal commodities forecaster warns.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences' (ABARES) March quarter commodities report predicts the Australian dollar will average 104 US cents in 2013/14.

Beyond that, it sees a gradual move toward parity with the US dollar by 2018.