Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
Both bulk grain handling companies operating at Wallaroo have accepted lentils into their local storage facilities for the first time this season.
T-Ports loaded export lentils from the port for the first time yesterday, Monday December 4.
These are being transhipped to a vessel bound for the Middle East.
Viterra will load lentils — including from YP and Mid North growers — onto a vessel at Inner Harbour, Port Adelaide, from December 11.
Viterra central region operations manager Jack Tansley said the company looks forward to strong Wallaroo lentils shipping for the first quarter of 2024.
“We increased our elevation capacity at Wallaroo with an additional drive-over hopper stacker for lentil deliveries to support growers through the season,” he said.
“With plantings and deliveries of lentils on YP continuing to increase, we have been working with our YP grower customers to provide an additional harvest delivery point for their lentils,” he said.
“The feedback we’ve received has been really positive and this has been reflected in strong deliveries into the new segregation.”
Mr Tansley said Viterra will continue to provide post-harvest delivery options for lentils and other commodities at Wallaroo, Port Giles and Inner Harbour.
Lentil receivals at Viterra’s Wallaroo and Ardrossan sites this harvest made up about 60 per cent of lentil deliveries across SA.
Mr Tansley said there is strong demand for SA lentils from countries including India, Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates.
T-Ports chief executive Nathan Kent said the first lentil receivals at Wallaroo showed the company’s flexibility to add this commodity to its segregations.
“Our infrastructure has been designed and built to handle a myriad of different grain types,” he said.
“Aside from some classification/quality assessment tools and some stringent training, we’ve been able to adapt very easily.
“Lentils are now playing a major role in growers’ commercial returns and rotations, and it makes sense to support these needs on behalf of our growers and our export clients,” he said.
“We know growers appreciate the extra competition we provide in the port zones in which we operate, and they continue to show their support for our proactiveness and the infrastructure we build.”
This article appeared in the Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 5 December 2023.
