Archive ( 01.04.05 )
GRAINCO TO CONTINUE DIRECT STORAGE OF BARLEY AT ABERDEEN HARBOUR EXPORT FACILITY
Aberdeen Harbour Board has renewed GrainCo Scotland's lease of quayside storage following the crop marketing co-operative's successful first season using the export facility at the port.
During the 2004 harvest, GrainCo delivered around 7,000 tonnes of barley direct from farms for stockpiling in Transit Shed 5 on deep-water Pacific Wharf, as part of the shipment of eight cargoes from the port to Spain, Portugal and Ireland.
Charles Birnie, GrainCo Scotland's Commercial Director, said: "Using the facility at Aberdeen Harbour has demonstrated a number of important benefits which the new lease will enable us to repeat in the coming season. Moving the grain directly to as near the end-user as possible during the harvest minimises the second haul and generates savings, with farmers getting the best possible price for the grain.
"Having the shed full of barley gives GrainCo the confidence to sell more shiploads through Aberdeen, knowing the stock is there as a buffer. It also enables the chartering of larger vessels, giving access to new markets for barley from the North-east.
"Our use of Aberdeen has also encouraged others to do so, and the port has become the major export outlet of feeding barley in the North-east.
Harbour Board Operations Director and Harbour Master, Captain Colin Parker, commented: "We welcome GrainCo's initiative which is another example of our working with specific industries to maximise the use of the port's facilities to mutual benefit. The quayside storage is encouraging agricultural traffic to use the harbour, along with larger vessels. The capacity to handle the latter is important for the competitiveness of Scottish barley."
GrainCo is also using Aberdeen to export barley stored elsewhere, along with grain remaining on farm to go direct to the end user.
The announcement of the new lease coincides with the inclusion of around 2,000 tonnes of barley from GrainCo in a shipment of approximately 7,000 tonnes from various suppliers being loaded onto the vessel, Senya, at Aberdeen this week for delivery to Spain.
GrainCo Scotland, based at Turriff, was formed in 2002 and is forecasting a profit for the year ending June, for the third year in succession. It was established following the formation of GrainCo Ltd in North-east England by farmer-owned businesses, Farmway Ltd and Tynegrain Group in 1995. GrainCo is a leading supplier of cereals and oilseeds to the UK domestic market, and to a wide range of overseas buyers as the largest exporter of grain in Northern England and Scotland.
Investment by the Harbour Board in recent years has included the development of deepwater berths - there are now 14 - and a series of transit sheds.
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