Fast finish to CBH harvest

West Perth-based CBH Group has recorded a grain harvest of 13.2 million tonnes for the 2017-18 season, well above initial estimates following good finishing rains.

Early harvest predictions for the grain handler had ranged from 9.5mt to 10mt, however, much-needed rain late in the season boosted output, with Esperance registering a record harvest of 2.8mt.

Kwinana received 5.6mt for the year, while Albany recorded 3.2mt.

The overall result was down from last year’s record of 16.6mt, however, general manager of operations David Capper said the harvest had turned out to be an above-average season with total grain volumes surpassing expectations.

“We were expecting much lower volumes given the dry winter in Western Australia,” he said.

“However, the good finishing rains that came in September and October pushed our total crop estimate almost 40 per cent higher than our estimates earlier in the season.”

Mr Capper said there had been a number of challenges throughout the year.

“The 2017-18 harvest was punctuated by frequent short periods of wet weather, which was frustrating for growers,” he said.

“In addition, a number of other factors, including the significant increase in the crop estimate and very low harvest shipping, tested our supply chain.

“However, in most cases the network was agile and efficient in getting the grain safely into storage, as demonstrated by the new records.

“There were some sites that struggled under the pressure of significantly higher deliveries than they were prepared for, and we’d like to thank growers for working with us at those sites to get the crop in.”

Following harvest, grain is transported through CBH’s road and rail network to port sites and onto ships to export to customers worldwide.

The shipping program is expected to ramp-up in the coming months.