In the most recent 2020/21 crop year, Viterra contributed $978 million to the South Australian economy by purchasing grain from local growers and investing in its supply chain network, which connects growers to domestic and international buyers and markets.
Viterra paid $738 million to growers for their grain and invested $240 million in its agriculture supply chain, which included $80 million on wages, $70 million on road and rail logistics and $50 million on maintenance and capital expenditure.
Viterra Chief Executive Officer for Australia and New Zealand Phil Hughes says Viterra’s statewide network helps South Australian growers access key markets, creating local jobs and boosting the state’s economy.
“We are a part of the regional communities where our employees, grower customers, and suppliers live and work, and we’re pleased to invest in these communities while also working hard to consistently connect local growers with grain markets around the world,” Phil says.
Viterra’s ongoing capital expenditure is key in maintaining a sustainable and efficient supply chain for its customers.
“We invest in our supply chain every year, in our infrastructure, technology, services and our people to keep our operations safe and running smoothly,” Phil says.
“Growers can rely on our network to efficiently move their grain to market now and into the future.”
With the 2021/22 grain harvest underway, growers have access to 10 million tonnes of storage across 55 Viterra sites. Harvest receivals have so far exceeded 1.7 million tonnes with growers delivering wheat, barley, canola, peas and faba beans.
Deliveries into Viterra on Wednesday 1 December reached the largest volume delivered in a day since the 2017/18 harvest with more than 250,000 tonnes delivered.
“Our sites are ready and we look forward to welcoming more growers at our sites. We will be adaptable and flexible with our services throughout harvest to meet growers’ needs to make their deliveries as easy as possible,” Phil says.
Part of Viterra’s value proposition is its ability to adapt its network to the changing buyer demands and requirements of the international grain market.
South Australian grain from the Viterra network is in high demand overseas, particularly this year with lower crop production in Russia, Canada and France.
“We already have 4.5 million tonnes of forward shipping bookings for new season grain from 13 exporters in our system, in addition to our local domestic buyers which is a great result for local growers,” Phil says.
“The buyers in our system know we can meet their exact specifications for grain due to the quality control testing and mechanisms we have in place throughout our supply chain.
“Our port terminal infrastructure and deep water ports supports large volumes of grain being loaded quickly which creates value for buyers and the industry.”
The first vessel with new season grain has set sail from Viterra’s Outer Harbor port terminal. The panamax, one of the largest types of grain vessels, was loaded with 66,000 tonnes, followed by another from Viterra’s Port Lincoln terminal. They total more than 130,000 tonnes of South Australian barley heading to key market Saudi Arabia.
