E-Malt.com News article: 2418

Australia: Demand for malting barley is tipped to reach one million tonnes by next year, a study of national analysts revealed. Grain leaders will meet in Perth from March 30 for the industry's annual week-long conference, but this year they will agree on revamping almost the entire production system. It is being driven by new projections, which suggest demand for Australian grain – wheat, barley, oats and canola – will surge around 500 % by 2025.

Even traditional critics, Grains Council president Keith Perrett and Grain Growers of Australia president Ron Greentree, agreed on the proposals to be put at the conference. The key proposal is the creation is a grains business forum that will bring together growers, grain handling companies and marketing organizations such as monopoly wheat exporter AWB Ltd.

The forum would act as a collaborative agreement. Sitting beside the forum will be the various grain representative organisations that will also work together to respond to new research breakthroughs and market changes. Industry leaders have already identified research and development, industry infrastructure and genetically modified crops as key issues.

Mr Perrett played up the importance of the forum. "The establishment of the business forum will be one of the most important decisions ever taken by our industry", he said. "It's clear the next 20 years will pose serious challenges to the Australian grains industry, particularly decisions about transport, water availability and environmental accreditation systems."

One of the industry's concerns is how to meet the expected growth in demand for grain. A study to be released this week shows the number of grain growers is expected to fall to fewer than 30,000 in coming decades.

More farmers will grow grain for meat, to supply the pork, poultry and redmeat industries, while fewer will grow grain as a stand alone crop. Demand from the pharmaceutical industry alone is expected to triple demand to 6 million tonnes by 2020, demand for malting barley is tipped to reach one million tonnes by next year, while bio-fuels and ethanol will also greatly stretch demand for grains.


30 March, 2004