Australian group urges for reform in grain industry

Significant reform is required to keep the grain industry viable, according to the Grains Council of Australia.

The grains industry is losing about A$25 million (US$17.2 million) per month at the farm gate due to transport supply problems in Queensland, and various ports have struggled to keep up with grain exports.

Jamie Smith, vice chairman of the council, said some industry-management functions had disappeared along with the deregulation of the grain market.

The opening of the market has created issues that need to be dealt with, and the current situation amounted to an ''information deficit'' across the industry, Smith said.

There needs to be more stock disclosures in shipping and supply and demand information in the marketplace so it can work effectively, and biosecurity was another area that has to be considered seriously, he said.

There were international threats to Australia's grain supply from grain storage pests and rust spores, so the industry needs to develop rules to work with, Smith said.

Research and development, also an issue for the industry, had to focus on providing a customer-driven ''farm-to-fork'' approach.