Photo courtesy of Viterra.
The record shipments have been made through Viterra’s six export terminals in South Australia.
Jonathan Wilson, Viterra’s general manager of logistics and commercial relations, said the huge shipping task was supported by the company’s rail and road outturn program, allowing export requirements to be met on time.
“Moving a record crop cannot happen without buy-in from across the supply chain and with the aid of our strategic partners,” Wilson said. “We’ve been able to manage port capacity and move grain throughout the system in a timely manner to meet the needs of export markets and customers.”
Helping to tip the shipping figure over 5 million tonnes was a barley vessel headed for China, through Glencore Agriculture.
Lyndon Asser, Glencore Agriculture’s senior commercial manager, said the vessel Densa Puma was loaded from Inner Harbour in the Port of Adelaide.
“We loaded 36,000 tonnes of barley, including the new variety Compass, bound for one of the world’s biggest maltsters,” Asser said. “Securing a bulk cargo of Compass is an important step in our development of Compass as a new malting variety while we wait for accreditation. Chinese customers have enjoyed the quality seen in Australian malting barley and varieties such as Compass this year. This bodes well for continuing demand in 2017-18 given Compass plantings look to be high again.”
Eleven exporters have been shipping grain from South Australia this season to 21 different countries in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
“We are proud of the quality of service we have delivered to our grower, export and end-use customers, particularly in a record year,” Wilson added.
