AUSTRALIA— CBH Group, a grain growers’ cooperative that handles, markets and processes grain from the wheatbelt of Western Australia, has officially opened its new 20,000-tonne fertilizer storage facility in Esperance, with the co-operative aiming to fill the gap in the state’s supply of inputs.
After achieving a 47% increase in sales last year, CBH’s fertilizer business has entered a new phase of growth with the Esperance facility now fully operational.
Head of Fertilizer David Pritchard said that CBH is aiming to fill a gap in the Western Australia grains market.
“Given the remoteness of the Esperance Port Zone, we believe there is a gap in the market from a supply and pricing perspective,” Mr Pritchard said.
“We have also seen demand for fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, grow exponentially in recent years, with the existing market struggling to keep pace during key times.
CBH chair Simon Stead added that the milestone was an exciting step towards delivering significant benefits to Western Australia grain growers.
“As a core function of the co-operative, CBH Fertilizer is committed to delivering on the strategy of reducing grower’s on-farm input costs and improving the consistency of fertilizer supply in Western Australia,” Mr Stead said.
“The opening of our new Esperance facility will enable us to bring surety of supply to Esperance growers and bring further competitiveness to the market.”
Located 3.5 kilometres north-west of the Esperance Port on Flinders Circuit in Chadwick, the facility is owned by Qube and operated by CBH Fertilizer.
It is designed for fertilizer storage, blending and loading of trucks with a full range of granular Phosphates, Nitrogen, Potash and Sulphur products.
CBH has installed Yargus blending equipment to allow for blending of multiple products plus additives such as liquid copper, zinc and fungicides.
Designed with segregations inside, the facility includes a drive-through undercover area for trucks, a CBH owned-and-operated front-end loader and a weighbridge to allow for greater control of costs and efficiencies at the site.
Despite a volatile global fertilizer market from a price and supply perspective, CBH Fertilizer has worked hard to ensure all shipments contracted for 2022 arrive safely and on time.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro-industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
