PARKSIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA — The first shipment of new season grain has been loaded at Viterra’s Port Lincoln terminal, kicking off a grain shipping schedule.

Glencore Agriculture’s vessel has been loaded at night to ensure grower deliveries are managed efficiently during the loading of 26,500 tonnes of wheat bound for Yemen.

Simon Gellert, senior wheat trader at Glencore Agriculture, said Yemen is a regular export market for Australian grain.

“Australia’s reputation for low moisture, high-quality white wheat provides benefits to wheat millers and other end users,” Gellert said. “Australia has experienced consistent demand from Yemen who have taken on average 800,000 tonnes a year over the past five seasons despite our weather impacted production volumes.

Nick Pratt, Viterra Western region operations manager; Travis Hay, Western region operations coordinator; and Dean Matthews, inventory controller, with Viterra’s first vessel being loaded with new season grain at the Port Lincoln terminal.

“We are able to provide a high level of confidence to export markets and end use customers when sourcing our grain through the Viterra network because of the rigorous supply chain procedures and track record of providing the highest standard of quality management and guaranteeing the food safety of grain.”

The terminal infrastructure also supports quick turnaround times with loading rates of up to 3,000 tonnes per hour, which Gellert said provides significant value to the industry.

Nick Pratt, Viterra Western region operations manager, said vessels larger than a panamax can be efficiently loaded in under three days.

“Growers also have access to a range of buyers and domestic and export markets through the Viterra network,” Pratt said. “We have four exporters with shipping booked out of Port Lincoln for November and December, with grain bound for a number of domestic and international export markets.

“We are currently running 24-hour operations at Port Lincoln to load vessels at night, using the terminal’s infrastructure off peak, to ensure we maximize efficiency for harvest receivals from Eyre Peninsula growers. We have a strong focus on providing an efficient service and improving turnaround times for our buyer and grower customers — and loading at nighttime, combined with our recent A$6 million infrastructure investment at the site, will help us achieve this.”

Effective efficiency remains Viterra Australia’s goal throughout the supply chain.

“Increased elevation capacity benefits both vessel loading and deliveries to the site, with the vessel loaded more quickly at night and all our elevation points dedicated to deliveries during the day,” Pratt said. “Managing the entire supply chain from our upcountry sites through to our port terminal means we efficiently accumulate grain for shipping and can adjust operations to meet our customers’ changing needs.”