March 12, 2007

Australia government backs report to weigh future of wheat exports
 

Australia's agriculture minister, Peter McGauran, Monday backed the use of a report from a consultation committee to help decide the future of wheat export arrangements, rather than any opinion survey of growers.

"The reason why the government has not polled growers directly is because I don't believe on a ballot paper you can properly canvass all the options," he said in a report on Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Some growers and others have raised proposals for an opinion survey of growers.

"I have much more confidence that the government will place a lot more importance and weight on the consultation committee's report," he added.

A government-appointed export wheat marketing consultation committee has completed a round of 25 public forums and is now preparing a report for delivery to the government by Mar 30 on the export marketing needs of growers and industry, which the government will use to help decide future arrangements.

At stake is a wheat export trade that can reach almost 20 million tonnes a year, valued at almost A$5 billion (about US$3.916 billion) and accounting for more than 15 percent of world trade.

Australia's wheat exports are dominated by stock exchange listed AWB Ltd., which until last year had operated a monopoly over exports since 1939.