GrainCorp

Australian shares have reversed Monday's losses and opened stronger following positive finishes in the US overnight.

The share market has edged higher due to modest gains in most sectors, while the Reserve Bank's concerns about slow wages growth have driven the Australian dollar to a five-month low.

Industry stakeholders are concerned about the level of port market share held by grain handler CBH Group, while entry for new players like Bunge has been challenging, according to a new Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report.

GrainCorp shares surged by more than a third after the drought-hit grain handler received an all-cash $2.38 billion takeover bid from little-known asset manager Long-Term Asset Partners.

Graincorp's plans to demerge its global malting business and list the new company on the ASX have been greeted warmly by investors.

Bulk grains handler GrainCorp says it will not pay shareholders an interim dividend after it swung to a $59 million half-year loss following severe drought conditions and trade disruptions.

Plans have been lodged with the state’s environmental regulator for a $52 million bulk liquids terminal in Kwinana, a facility that would hold liquid fertiliser, cooking oils and caustic soda.

Consumer driven demand for grain-based products is good news for the farm sector.

Graincorp has swung to a half-year profit of $388 million following the sale of its Australian Bulk Liquid Terminals business and demerger of United Malt.The bulk grains handler had reported a $59 million half-year loss a year earlier amid severe drought and trade disruptions.

The grain industry is sharpening its strategy with new markets, new products and a focus on supply chain costs.

CBH Group continued to be WA's dominant grain exporter in 2020-21 with 55 per cent market share, but production from the state fell below the level of New South Wales.

Favourable seasonal conditions on the land aren’t always reflected in the share price fortunes for listed ag firms.

Rio Tinto will test a native tree’s suitability as a biodiesel crop in Queensland to offset carbon emissions from its Pilbara mines.

Graincorp and Cargill are both planning crushing plants in WA, but BP's move to defer its biorefinery has raised questions about the industry.

The outlook for the Kwinana industrial strip has changed drastically during the past year after a series of project closures and delays.