South Australian grain exports have continued to break records with 814,000 tonnes shipped through Viterra’s ports last month the company’s biggest January on record.
A large portion of this total came from its two Adelaide ports, which shipped their highest ever monthly total of 360,000 tonnes during January.
Tim Krause, General Manager Viterra Operations, said the huge shipping tonnages were critical in moving South Australia’s large 2016/17 crop.
“The large harvest has been excellent for growers but securing exports from South Australia is equally as important,” Tim said.
“Receiving the crop is only half the job for us, we have an extensive logistics program to outturn the grain and move it to port to meet export demand and prepare for the 2017 harvest.
“South Australia is competing against other grain growing regions globally so our ability to move the grain quickly, efficiently and while meeting strict quality specifications is crucial to ensuring buyers keep coming to SA to source their grain.”
Tim said total shipping for the 2016/17 season had now passed 2 million tonnes.
“It is pleasing to see 11 different exporters booking shipping capacity for the season, exporting to a variety of end-users in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. The introduction of long term agreements has been an important contributor to this.
“We’ve also been able to add extra shipping capacity to our stem due to the efficiency of our upcountry logistics. The tonnages are a real credit to our teams who have been coordinating a smooth shipping schedule with significant rail and road outturn movements.
“The sheer volume of grain being outturned and shipped is fantastic for the industry and wider South Australian economy. Our sites are extremely busy with 24-hour rail and road operations to meet exports.
“We will continue to focus on high shipping benchmarks to manage the crop for growers, meet the needs of our export customers and continue our preparations for the 2017 harvest.”