Two of Australia’s key grains industry entities, Grains Australia and the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) are joining forces to deliver more efficient and effective ‘industry good’ services for Australian grain growers.
The integration of activities and alignment between Grains Australia and AEGIC was announced today in Perth by Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Chair John Woods and Western Australian Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Small Business, Jackie Jarvis.
The integration is designed to drive collaboration, improved co-ordination and streamline and deliver efficiencies across the key areas of classification, trade and market access, market information and education and customer insights and innovation for the Australian grains sector.
Until now AEGIC and Grains Australia have operated as separate entities. AEGIC as an initiative of the Western Australian State Government (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) and GRDC; and Grains Australia as an initiative of GRDC.
AEGIC is the nation’s leading organisation for market insight, innovation and technical solutions for the grains industry. Its primary focus is to increase value in the Australian grains industry by ensuring our grain meets the needs of customers and end-users. Grains Australia has been established to deliver ‘industry good’ activities, such as classification, market access, market information and education to bolster the grain industry’s competitiveness and profitability.
GRDC Chair John Woods says the integration of the two entities was a ‘natural alignment’ and would streamline activities and investment to maximise value to Australian grain growers and strengthen and build strategic market relationships.
“It makes sense to have these two very important agencies working together, effectively combining the work being done to explore and understand emerging and current market needs, with critical ‘industry good’ activities such as classification, market access and market information,” Mr Woods says.
“GRDC invests on behalf of Australian grain growers and supporting this integration is about ensuring they are getting the best return of investment for the dollars we spend in this space.
“This integration does mean change. GRDC will step down from our direct membership role with AEGIC and our investment in that entity will now come through Grains Australia.
“But ultimately this will streamline activities and ensure operations are aligned, delivering a connected set of industry good services through all parts of the grain supply chain for the benefit of Australian grain growers.”
Grains Australia Chair Terry Enright welcomed the agreement and says he was looking forward to working even more closely with AEGIC under the new model.
“We are confident that it will lead to many efficiencies that deliver more value for the Australian grains industry,” Mr Enright says.
“Grains Australia’s role is to service the connection between what the market wants and what the industry provides, and under the new aligned operation with AEGIC we can generate more benefits to Australian growers and meet the needs of our end-users around the world.”
AEGIC Chair, Ron Storey says he was delighted AEGIC’s 10-year partnership with the WA Government and GRDC was evolving into a broader set of industry services with Grains Australia.
“This is a logical, efficient move that will create a stronger national grains industry,” Mr Storey says.
Under this new structure investment from GRDC will come through Grains Australia to AEGIC. While Grains Australia will use AEGIC’s offices where it presents efficiency, AEGIC’s Western Australia (Perth) and New South Wales (Sydney) technical capacity will be maintained and adapted to deliver on the strategic objectives of AEGIC and Grains Australia.