Australia: Growers to share in first distribution payments from 2007/2008 harvest barley pools

Barley growers across South Australia and Victoria will share in first distribution payments from ABB Grain’s 2007/2008 select pools, according to ABB’s press release, April 16.

Growers who delivered malting barley into ABB's 2007/2008 No.1 pools will receive $390/tonne for malting 1 barley and $380/tonne for feed 1 barley – both amounts representing 89% of the current estimated grower return (EGR).

Growers who delivered into ABB's No.2 select pools will receive $345/t for malting 1 barley and $320/t for feed 1; growers who put barley into the No.3 select pool will receive $340/t for malting 1 and $290/t for feed 1.

The following charges will be factored into the above distributions: research levies and VFF levies (where applicable), 100% anticipated bulk handling and 100% of anticipated freight.

ABB Grain's general manager marketing, Peter Jones, said that the pools were still a valuable option for growers in a deregulated barley market as they were able to take advantage of both export and domestic demand.

He said the high percentages of the EGR for the first distributions reflected another below-average crop in South Australia in the 2007 but also the very high prices that barley was attracting and has continued to attract.

"Also, because of the smaller crop, there have been faster outturns than in average years," Mr Jones said.

The next distribution to growers from the 2007/2008 barley pools is scheduled to be made in July 2008.

16 April, 2008