September 25, 2009
Viterra holds Australian base grain fees unchanged
Canadian-based Viterra Inc. said Friday (September 25) it will hold unchanged its base fees for grain storage and handling in its Australian operations, simplify the overall fee structure and remove a volume variation fee.
"Growers no longer have to pay the volume variation charge. We've replaced this with a crop insurance that covers us for a below-average harvest," the cost of which is borne by Viterra rather than growers, Viterra's Chief Operating Officer Fran Malecha said in a statement.
There is potential for the coming harvest in South Australia and Southeast Australia, where Viterra's newly-acquired ABB Grain unit operates, to be one of the largest in recent times and the company's focus now is on ensuring the system is in full readiness, she said.
ABB Grain also is working with antitrust regulator the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission regarding acceptable access undertakings for other exporters to the company's coastal export terminals, she said.
The company has lodged a revised undertaking with the ACCC and is "confident the revised undertaking reflects the ACCC's expectations and the company looks forward to formal acceptance of the undertaking and renewal of ABB's wheat export license under the Wheat Export Marketing Act," she said.
