October 14, 2009
Viterra''s Australian unit receives first barley into storage
Canadian-based Viterra Inc. Tuesday (October 13) reported receiving the first deliveries of a new crop barley into the South Australian-based storage and export system that it bought last month for A$1.6 billion (US$1.4 billion).
The first loads of barley from the 2009 South Australian grain harvest were delivered to Viterra''s silos at Port Pirie, signalling that the start of the harvest proper isn''t far off, the company reported.
"While the delivered barley was just within the maximum limit for moisture content, it was large grain" with few instances of small grain, it said in a statement.
Following Sunday''s warm and windy weather in South Australia, further deliveries of grain are expected this week from early maturing cropping areas, but it will be several weeks before the grain harvest begins in earnest, the company reported.
State department Primary Industries & Resources SA estimates indicate the coming harvest will be the biggest since at least 2005, Viterra said.
There has been some speculation in the industry that given the soft spring with plentiful rainfall and mild temperatures, total production from winter crops in South Australia could even approach the record output of 8.9 million tonnes in the crop year ended March 31, 2002.
US$1 = A$1.09 (Oct 14)
