WEST PERTH, AUSTRALIA — The CBH Group will offer a niche Hindmarsh segregation in the Esperance zone this harvest, the company announced on Oct. 26. The segregation is being offered by CBH Grain and will only be made available at the Esperance terminal.

CBH Grain's Marketing Manager for Barley Rob Dickie said the Hindmarsh variety was granted food grade after it did not achieve malting barley accreditation through Barley Australia. The variety was granted a food grade classification in order for it to be evaluated for shochu in the Japanese market.


"In the testing done to date, Hindmarsh has shown a high yield potential and good grain quality," Dickie said. "As a grower owned grain marketer, we have always seen one of our key roles as being able to develop these new varieties in the marketplace and we are committed to working with customers to build and develop a market for Hindmarsh going forward."

Dickie said while there is market potential for the Hindmarsh variety in China for brewing and malting purposes and Japan for shochu evaluation, it is still in the very early stages of market development.

"As this is a relatively new variety, we are still in the process of working with our customers to develop the potential for Hindmarsh in the marketplace," Dickie said. "We are looking to acquire 10,000 tonnes this harvest, which is limited by the small plantings of this newer variety by Western Australia growers.

Colin Tutt, general manager of CBH operations, said that CBH Grain was the first marketer to have a niche segregation for Hindmarsh with the view to exporting it in bulk.