CBH provides stocks info
Growers to have same data as the marketers
MONOPOLY West Australian bulk handler CBH Group will provide growers with more stocks information this harvest but has baulked at “full grain stocks disclosure to the global market”.
The company, Australia’s biggest wheat exporter, said it was open to discussion about a US-style grain stocks reporting model as proposed by GrainCorp last week.
GrainCorp has suggested voluntary quarterly reporting – monthly during harvest – of tonnages by commodity and by port zone to an independent third party such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
However, it does not plan to report grain quality or whether or not stocks are committed.
CBH spokeswoman Brianna Peake said from this harvest, which will start soon, it would provide growers with receival and quality information weekly on its company LoadNet website, which requires a login.
“This will include tonnage received by class and port zone and aggregated quality information by grade and port zone,” she said.
She said growers would be provided with the same aggregated information that marketers received when they bought grain through CBH.
“For wheat this will be based on aggregated quality for nominated grain.”
But the company was “yet to be convinced of the economic benefit to growers of full grain stocks disclosure to the global market”.
“If there is industry agreement with a US style grain stock reporting model, as proposed by GrainCorp, we are open to having further discussions with our growers on adopting this approach.”
WA Farmers Federation grains president Duncan Young said the CBH announcement levelled the playing field between growers and marketers.
“At the moment growers are at a disadvantage to the
marketers, which have received (stocks) information, but growers haven’t,” Mr Young said.
He wants any stocks disclosure to be done voluntarily and is in favour of an independent body but does
not want government involved as it would be too expensive.
He said modelling indicated the industry could set up a stocks disclosure system for about $50,000 which “would not cost growers a lot of money”.
However opposition agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said government should have a role in this issue because “information and transparency are critical to the effective and efficient operation of markets”.
❝This will include tonnage received by class and port zone and aggregated quality information by grade and port zone. — Brianna Peake