Grain export records tumble at Southern Ports’ Albany, Bunbury and Esperance ports after harvest

Grain export records have tumbled at Southern Ports’ Albany, Bunbury and Esperance ports with the achievement powered by WA farmers’ recent record grain harvest of 26 million tonnes.

With a month until the end of the 2022-23 financial year, Southern Ports chief executive Keith Wilks revealed annual grain exports had reached more than 8.5 million tonnes across the three ports.

The figure topples the 2021-22 record of 6.8Mt, which came after a then-record 24Mt harvest.

Mr Wilks said grain exports were up a collective 1.64Mt year-on-year, with all three ports smashing their prior grain export figures by more than 500,000 tonnes.

He said that figure was expected to continue to climb higher by the end of the month.

“We’re proud we can achieve record results like this,” Mr Wilks said.

“It’s a celebration of the hard work and collaboration by all involved, including the Southern Ports’ team, CBH Group, Bunge, transport providers and of course, WA growers.

“But it also reflects positively on the operating capacity and efficiency of our three ports and the important role they play in connecting WA grain with world markets.”

Another 20 to 25 ships are expected to depart from the three ports before the end of the month.

The biggest export increase has been at the Albany Port, where an additional 578,661 tonnes of grain has been shipped this financial year – taking the total from 3.05Mt to 3.68Mt.

It was a similar result from Bunbury, where the 1.39Mt of grain shipped this year was up 567,755 on last year’s 829,496 tonne record.

At Esperance, grain exports were up 500,880t from 2.91Mt to 3.47Mt.

Southern Ports operates the ports of Esperance, Albany and Bunbury, facilitating the export of various commodities including grain, woodchips, and nickel, among others.

The figures include grain shipped from CBH Group’s Esperance and Albany Grain Terminals, as well as grain exported by its competitor Bunge at Bunbury.

With the final trade totals set to be calculated at the end of the month, Mr Wilks said he was looking forward to seeing the final result.