AN Esperance businessman is establishing a containerised grains shipping service from the port for the upcoming harvest.
Esperance Quality Grains (EQG) owner and former CBH chairman Neil Wandel is setting up the new service that could see growers on the south coast save between $40-$45 per tonne on freight costs for pulse crops and milling oats, which historically had to be sent to Perth for packing and shipping from Fremantle.
Mr Wandel said he made the decision to establish the service to extend his family's grain cleaning and drying equipment.
"We would be able to use these facilities during the year rather than just over harvest," Mr Wandel said.
"Plus we already have the container facilities and so it is a good opportunity for us."
EQG has leased storage area from Merchant Shipping and with its current 3000t capacity as part of its seed cleaning and drying business, will increase its storage capacity to 7000t.
Mr Wandel said the company would also look at on-farm storage and with CBH if necessary.
EQG will focus on legumes and milling oats initially but could increase the service if successful.
Mr Wandel hoped the business would secure a "good percentage" of the field pea, faba bean and lupins from the port zone.
This year GIWA predicts 7000t of oats, 20,000t of lupins and 24,000t field peas will be produced in the Esperance zone.
"It would be great if we could get about 10,000t of this in the first year, but we are just wanting to get a foot in the door for now. This will give growers another option for selling their pulses."
South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) president Greg Curnow said the new service was encouraging for Esperance growers.
"SEPWA is keen to see utilisation of the Esperance port to help build the pulse industry in the zone," he said.
As a grower in the area, Mr Curnow said the service could help increase the size of pulse and milling oats crops grown in the region. He said if it removed that $40-$45/t cost, he thought it would help make it more attractive to growers to grow these crops.
It will be the first time a commercial containerised grain shipment will be made from the port following a 2011 trial run by SEPWA with project partners, the Pulse Association of the South East (PASE), which shipped 100t of Kaspa field peas from Esperance via Fremantle to Malaysia.
