MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Emerald announced that it has launched its 2012-13 season Early Order Premium (EOP) pool contracts, with effect from March 15.

The EOP guarantees growers premiums over and above the final pool return for each commodity, with the preseeding EOP offering an additional A$15 a tonne for wheat, A$13 a tonne for barley and A$18 a tonne for canola, Emerald said.

Emerald General Manager West Coast Region Murray de Jong said the EOP program was a great example of growers and Emerald working together to increase the value generated in pools, with growers the ultimate beneficiaries.

“When a grower contracts through our EOP they set in train a series of strategies and activities that are about creating value in the marketing and logistics chain and managing risk,” de Jong said. “The grower is rewarded for that commitment through the premium, along with securing their access into all of Emerald’s marketing options and payment systems, with flexibility to refine their grain marketing as the season moves through to harvest.

“Marketing grain is a process that has become increasingly more complex due to the many steps needed to get grain to a customer, particularly when that customer is overseas. They are real steps that involve cost, risk and opportunity, and they all need to be managed for maximum performance.

“When a grower contracts to Emerald’s pool they are contracting that management task on to us and tonnage secured through our EOP enables us to begin the marketing process as early as possible.”