Left to right: Peter Reading, Lyndon Asser. Photo courtesy of GTA.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Grain Trade Australia (GTA) and the Australian Grain Exporters Association (AGEA) have reached an agreement to combine, part of a larger effort to improve efficiency and effectiveness of industry representation within the grain industry in Australia.

As part of the effort, AGEA said it will eliminate its current structure and re-form as the Australian Grain Exporters Council (AGEC). AGEC will become the first sector council to establish a new model for representation being offered through GTA.

The new structure will allow the different councils to meet, form policy, discuss and influence issues without administrative costs involved in operating separate organizations.

“GTA recognizes the need for greater efficiency and when AGEA approached us with the desire to develop something new it seemed like a great opportunity,” said Peter Reading, chairman of GTA. “GTA already has various committees but they are for specific purposes whereas AGEA was seeking something that would enable them to continue to address issues in relation to the export sector, inside GTA, so we built a model together that we are confident will provide the required specialization while also working well for GTA’s corporate and governance structure.”

Lyndon Asser, president of AGEA, said the move to the new structure made sense in light of the grain industry’s need for streamlined representation.

“All of AGEA’s members are also members of GTA and while all are significant exporters they now have significant investment in infrastructure and involvement in the domestic market, which emphasize the nature of the industry as it continues to change,” Asser said. “There are still significant export issues for us to deal with, so a recognized exporter group is important. However, we believed we could work with GTA to do this more efficiently and AGEC is the result.”

GTA was formed in 1991 to formalize commodity trading standards, develop and publish the trade rules and standardize grain contracts across the Australian grain industry. GTA’s role today is to ensure the efficient facilitation of commercial activities across the grain supply chain.

Formed in 1980, AGEA is an independent, autonomous and not for profit association of Australian grain export organizations. AGEA represents its members to facilitate an efficient and effective export industry; and support Australian grains and oilseeds in domestic and export markets.