WEST PERTH, AUSTRALIA — The latest figures from Australian Crop Forecasters show that the CBH Group was the largest exporter of grain out of Australia for 2012-13, with a total of 5.56 million tonnes exported to over 30 international destinations. 

CBH Group Head of Marketing Tom Puddy said this top position was hard fought in a highly competitive environment.

“We are extremely proud of our performance. To have achieved the highest exports over the past year and remaining the only 100% Australian owned player in the line-up of multinational traders is very pleasing,” he said. “We’ve remained in the top three since deregulation but have been working hard both here in Western Australia and in the eastern states to expand our network to meet the demands of our long standing customers. It’s fair to say that the market has experienced a difficult period of change and aggressive competition.”

CBH said it has forecast a positive return for growers in 2013, providing value back to the growers of Western Australia through a rebate worth A$1 per tonne, shown as a discount off their storage and handling fees this harvest.

“The CBH Group has invested in the creation of an integrated supply chain in the belief that this is the most efficient model to return value to our growers,” said Puddy. “Our cooperative structure means that the value we capture will be returned to our growers through incentives like our rebate program.”