SYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) – Australia, the world’s fourth largest exporter of wheat, is preparing to harvest its biggest crop since 2005/06.

The 2009/10 crop could yield as much as 24 million tonnes, compared with 25.2 million tonnes harvested in 2005/06 and 21.4 million tonnes last season when Australia was continuing to recover from drought.

Here are some milestones since Australia’s wheat export industry was freed up in mid-2009, ending a monopoly on wheat exports held by AWB Ltd (AWB.AX), the former Australian Wheat Board, since the Second World War.


2008

  • July – Australia replaces single desk wheat marketing regime with system of multiple licenced exporters, regulated by federal government’s Wheat Exports Australia (WEA).
  • December – WEA licences 23 exporters, including global grain trading firms, Cargill Inc [CARG.UL], Glencore International, Bunge Ltd (BG.N) and Louis Dreyfus.

2009

  • February – Shipping delayed at Western Australian grain ports due to a surge in demand for handling services. Problems were compounded by rail lines buckling in summer heat, slowing grain trains delivering grain to port.
  • March – Western Australian monthly grain exports peak at 1.6 million tonnes as extra trucks are added to the road transport fleet operated by the state’s grain handler CBH Group. April – CBH Group says has cleared shipping backlog at Western Australian grain ports that caused ships to wait up to five weeks to load grain.
  • May – Leading Canadian grain firm Viterra VIT.TO offers to buy South Australian grain handling and exporting firm ABB Grains Ltd in $1.4 billion deal, signalling globalisation of Australia’s grain industry.
  • June – CBH sets up new system of allocating ship berths at its Western Australia grain ports to boost exports from the country’s top wheat-producing state.
  • September – Viterra completes takeover of ABB Grains, while AWB Ltd reveals it is in talks with a global grain firm about forming a grain trading joint venture.
  • September – Australia’s competition regulator accepts new undertakings from the country’s top three grain handlers, CBH Group, ABB Grains and GrainCorp that they will allow competing grain exporters fair and transparent access to their ports.
  • September – Wheat Exports Australia renews licences of three major grain handlers following port access undertakings and renews licences of 19 other exporters. October – GrainCorp announces deals to boost its rail capacity 80 percent by adding five more trains to a fleet it contracts on a take-or-pay basis. The firm says the extra capacity is needed to handle expected bigger harvests and reduce reliance on road transport.
  • October – Private forecaster Australian Crop Forecasters lifts its estimate of 2009/10 Australian wheat harvest to 23.1 million tonnes from 22 million tonnes as harvesting starts in northern most wheat belts. It says there is potential for the crop to yield as much as 24 million tonnes. (Editing by Clarence Fernandez)