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WA’s grain harvest is now under way with a forecast seasonal production of 17-18 million tonnes in line with expectations.
The first receivals for the season were already delivered to the Geraldton, Kwinana and Esperance ports, the WA Government says.
WA Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis described the start of the harvest as “promising” based in part on potential record yields at Geraldton.
“Our growers faced some tough conditions this season but their resilience, patience and willingness to embrace innovation means our state is on track for a solid harvest,” she says.
“While this may not be a bumper year, we’ve seen a significant turnaround after an extremely late break …”
The WA Government says that despite a relatively late start and dry September, the Geraldton Zone had a wetter than average season and now it is shaping up as the standout region for the state harvest in 2024.
Parts of the region are experiencing exceptionally high yields with expectations well above historical averages.
The government says expectations are that the Geraldton Zone will have one of its most successful grain harvests, potentially more than three million tonnes compared to the average of 2 to 2.5 million tonnes.
The Co-operative Bulk Handling (CBH) Group has recruited almost 300 casual employees on top of its 120-person permanent workforce with 80 of them based at the Geraldton terminal.
Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton welcomed news of the potential record yield.
“It is wonderful news that this could be one of our region’s best years …” she says.
“Harvest is an extremely important time for the Geraldton and the Mid West community …. it demonstrates our region’s importance as a grain supplier and a key contributor to the WA economy.”
The grain industry is worth $7 billion annually to the WA economy.
