World Grain - October 2013 - 15

newsreview

A Flour World
Museum story
No. 8

Emerald’s wheat port plan approved
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accepted Emerald Grain’s
wheat port access undertaking agreement
after feedback from industry counterparts,
Emerald said on Sept. 26. The new undertaking took effect Oct. 1.
“Emerald Grain is in favor of competition at
ports and in the Australian grain market. Competition at Australian ports and grain storage
facilities means a better return for Australian
growers,” said Emerald Grain Group General
Manager Supply Chain & Operations John
Warda. “Emerald Grain worked closely with
the ACCC to develop a port access undertaking, which the industry feels is equitable and
makes the Melbourne Port Terminal a viable
and attractive export option for grain exporters
in Victoria and southern New South Wales.”
In its undertaking, Emerald Grain addressed ACCC concerns on target percentage of grain to be transported to port by rail.
Emerald Grain also clarified that customer
agreement is required for stock swaps and has
made clear that the indicative access agreement applies only to port services for bulk
wheat exports, in line with the legislation.
The Melbourne Port Terminal is 12 years
old. It was acquired by Emerald Grain last year
as part of Emerald’s A$120 million investment
into developing an integrated supply chain.

The Melbourne Port Terminal is a
“throughput” terminal, meaning grain is not
stored on site for a long period of time — it
passes through as vessels load. The site has
a capacity of 48,000 tonnes — around the
same amount as ships have the capacity to
carry. Ships at the terminal load at approximately 1,000 tonnes per hour. The site is
linked with freight-advantaged storage sites
in Victoria and Southern New South Wales.
It is equipped to receive grain by both road
and rail. Emerald has a long-term-lease of
two locomotives, which operate throughout
Victoria and the Riverina to move grain more
efficiently to port. There are plans to add an
additional train to the network this year.
In the 2012-13 financial year, a record 1.4
million tonnes of grain passed through the
Melbourne Port Terminal. This was due in
part to a high utilization of its rail facilities,
which are more efficient than road. Exports
included around 1.3 million tonnes of bulk
shipments of wheat, barley, canola and corn
and 100,000 tonnes of containerized grain.
The grain was shipped to 17 countries
throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East and
the Pacific. A record number of ships berthed
at the terminal this year too, with 47 vessels
loading an average of 27,000 tonnes each.
For more port news from around the
world, go to page 60.

Emerald adds to Australian storage network
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Emerald
Grain announced on Sept. 5 that it has added a
site at Beulah in Victoria’s Mallee to its grain
receival and storage network for this harvest.
Shannon Brothers 55,000-tonne-capacity
site in Beulah will now operate under the
Emerald Grain banner.
“Shannon Brothers has been serving
growers around Beulah for over 40 years
and is a strong part of the local community,”
said Emerald Grain Group General Manager
– Supply Chain & Operations John Warda.
“This partnership is part of Emerald’s
strategy to align with rural businesses which
benefit the local grain growing communities
in which we operate.”
The site’s 55,000 tonnes of storage capacity is made up of bunkers, sheds and silos,
and is connected by road to Portland, Geelong and Melbourne. It has the capacity to
receive grain from up to 200 local growers.
“In the future, Emerald Grain plans to invest in and expand the site’s storage and intake
capabilities to make it a major facility in the
www.World-Grain.com / World Grain / October 2013

region, in order to attract more grain growers
and more grain buyers to the site,” Warda said.
He said the new arrangement means Emerald’s joint-venture partner SQP Grain will increase its buying appetite at Beulah this harvest.
“The site will remain open-access with a
variety of buyers, including SQP Grain, invited to post prices,” Warda said.
Shannon’s site manager Clayton Shannon
said the new partnership would bring benefits to growers who use the site.
“We’re pleased to come on board with
Emerald Grain this harvest. Emerald Grain
offers us the back-end systems, processes
and capital needed to better serve local farmers and to continue to grow our business.
We look forward to a strong partnership for
many harvests to come,” Shannon said.
Emerald Grain has 15 up-country storage
sites across New South Wales and Victoria
with a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes. In addition, it operates the Melbourne Port Terminal which last year achieved record throughput of 1.4 million tonnes of grain.

Good luck charms
from ﬂour
In China, ﬂour is used for steamed buns,
noodles and dumplings – and has a ﬁrm
place in regional traditions. In Shan Xi
province it is used to wish good luck.
From a dough made of ﬂour and water,
skilled women form little works of art.
These imaginative, richly decorated
ﬁgurines are thought to appease the
gods and bring the recipient prosperity
and luck. They come in brown, white or
in vibrant colors, depending on whether
they are baked, steamed or coldformed. On occasions like the Chinese
New Year, Hanshi Day or “Beg for clever
Hand Day,” weddings and birthdays,
this old tradition comes to life and
takes intricate shape.
The Mühlenchemie FlourWorld Museum
in Wittenburg is an expression of our
company culture and the responsibility
we feel towards the miller and his
ﬂour, as one of the most important
staple foods. The museum is a journey
through the millennia, illuminating the
development and importance of ﬂour.
It is the only one of its kind in the world.
www.mehlwelten.de

For more information, see Page 106.

www.muehlenchemie.de

http://www.mehlwelten.de http://www.World-Grain.com http://www.muehlenchemie.de

World Grain - October 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of World Grain - October 2013