A new education program aimed at better understanding grain markets to support diversification has received $75,000 through the Marshall Liberal Government’s Regional Growth Fund.
Grain Producers SA (GPSA), the peak industry body for South Australian grain growers, will run the Grain Marketing Operations and Diversification Project in partnership with Grain Trade Australia, the post-farm gate trade association.
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development David Basham said the program aligns with the recently released South Australian Grains Industry Blueprint.
“Diversification is a key part of the South Australian grains industry target to grow the sector to $6 billion by 2030,” said Minister Basham.
“We want to ensure that South Australia’s grain producers are better equipped to pursue new marketing opportunities and this industry led program provides an important platform.
“The program will engage with primary producers and provide education about options to mitigate and manage risk related to the marketing of their product.
“South Australia is recognised as one of the global leaders in the international grain industry – we are home to around 4,500 grain farms producing, on average, eight million tonnes annually.”
Caroline Rhodes, the Chief Executive Officer of GPSA, welcomed the project funding noting it was timely considering some of the uncertainty around access to key international grain markets.
“To kick-start the project, GPSA has now released a podcast series called Beyond the Silo – Grain marketing tips for growers, to boost the knowledge of producers in an important area of their business which is often misunderstood – grain marketing,” she said.
“Our producers are heavily reliant on access to international markets, with more than 80 per cent of our grain exported in an average year. That’s why we need to continually develop an understanding of consumer needs and wants in driving market demand offshore.
“We will be delivering regional workshops in early 2021 to help us provide South Australian grain producers with an enhanced understanding of the international grain markets and emerging opportunities in global trade, to make better decisions on-farm.
“This project captures a key priority of the Blueprint; to increase business resilience and sustainability in the grain production sector.”
For further information on the program, visit: https://grainproducerssa.com.au
