Leading agriculture network Viterra hosted silo committee members and grower representatives from across southern Australia for its annual preharvest meeting in Adelaide last week.
Attendees at the meeting heard about Viterra’s focus areas for the upcoming harvest and beyond, as the company continues to improve its supply chain to meet its grower and buyer customers’ needs, and about topical industry subjects including markets and sustainability.
Viterra Chief Operations Officer, James Murray says the preharvest meeting was a valuable opportunity for Viterra employees to connect with grower customers ahead of the harvest.
“We were pleased to share updates on areas such as operations and services, investments, major projects and the performance of the Australian and global Viterra business,” James says.
“The meeting focused on what we are doing to continue to improve our supply chain with significant large projects and investments in elevation capacity and digital innovation across the Viterra network.
“The two days were incredibly valuable for the Viterra team as we received feedback and ideas from growers and were able to answer any questions.
“We also provided attendees with the opportunity to hear from several guest speakers who shared fantastic insights into important topics for the agriculture sector.”
Special guest speakers included RaboResearch General Manager ANZ, Stefan Vogel who shared a current market update and outlook for grain markets, production and fertiliser. Stefan explained how global trends could provide opportunities for southern Australian growers. Grain Producers SA (GPSA) Chair Adrian McCabe discussed GPSA’s current focus areas and gave a timely update on the grain harvest code.
A panel discussion featuring ANZ Head of Agribusiness & Specialised Commercial, Mark Bennett and Nutrien Ag Solutions, South East Sustainability Field Manager, Todd Price included fantastic discussions on the key drivers of sustainability within the industry.
A panel of Viterra’s international and domestic buyer customers, including Wilmar International, Assistant General Manager Trading (Grains & Oilseeds), Mr Phoon Wing Ai, Allied Pinnacle, National Commodity Manager, Brett Duczmal and Viterra Singapore Senior Marketer, Sem Hauw, gave insights into what happens to local grain once it reaches end use markets.
Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) Chief Executive Officer Professor Mehdi Doroudi provided an overview of the State Government’s future focus areas in agriculture and the opportunities and challenges facing the industry.
James says the event was well-attended with positive feedback received.
“Thank you to our silo committee members, grower representatives, guest speakers and employees who attended our preharvest meeting for their invaluable insights.
“We look forward to seeing and hearing from more growers at our regional preharvest meetings coming up.”