The company noted that the study tour, the first that CBH has taken to the Middle East, was aimed at giving participants a greater understanding of customers’ requirements and on the ground experience of the local trends and demands in some of the most important destination markets for Western Australian grain.
The group visited the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait and consisted of Brady Green, Yuna; Jeffery Pearse, Wubin; Jon Hasson, Ballidu; Rob Hooper, Ongerup; Mike Wake, Jerdacuttup and Simon Tiller, Beaumont. They were accompanied by CBH’s Wheat Marketing Manager Sean Cowman, Barley Marketing Manager Rob Dickie and Geraldton Zone Manager Duncan Gray.
Dickie said over the past 10 years CBH has organized various grower study tours, mainly focused on the Asian grain market, however, this was the first into the Middle East region and reflected its huge potential for WA growers.
“CBH Grain exports on average about 15-20% of all its traded wheat, barley, canola, lupins and oats to this region. The other key regions are North Asia 31% and South East Asia 25%,” he said.
Wubin farmer Jeffery Pearse said the Middle East is a rapidly growing region with huge potential to consume Australian grain. “The area is highly developed and technologically advanced. The size, scale and potential for future growth in the area is phenomenal and it is important that CBH is well positioned to capitalise on this,” he said. “The CBH structure is unique and a great way to get the consumers connected with the growers and for many of our customers it was the first time they had met Australia growers face to face. They can understand how any profits CBH makes goes back to improving the structure and efficiency of the CBH network. No other exporter of grain can promote this benefit.”
