April 11, 2011

Australian farmers request help from trade ministry to reclaim wheat from Bangladesh

A group of farmers from Gilgandra in New South Wales are asking the Federal Government to endorse their fight to get back an approximated AUD2 million (US$2.1 million) worth of wheat.

The Gilgandra Marketing Co-operative has won a Supreme Court ruling on the sale of the 190 containers which have not been paid for and are on a dock in Bangladesh.

Co-op chairman Warwick Moppett says approximatedly 60 growers are affected by the unsuccessful agreement with Australian Commodity and Merchandise.

He says it has now developed into a trade issue and he is calling on Austrade and the Foreign Affairs Minister to intercede.

"We want the Federal Government to help us get across to Bangladesh, convince the Bangladesh government that the wheat has not ever been paid for in full and that those people that are involved in it are not being fully honest with the transactions that are happening."