October is always a busy month on the grower marketing calendar with the closing off of marketing nominations for the season ahead.
With the dust now settled, we have registered a pleasing increase in the number of growers and GEI tonnes nominated through to Wilmar Grower Marketing across our four milling regions.
A common theme with growers who nominated us is the financial benefits Wilmar has delivered over the last few seasons.
The Production Risk Pool continues to outperform the Harvest Pool, and the Allocation Account is adding a significant premium to the forward price that growers lock in through the Target price mechanism.
We will continue to work hard to maximise that premium as, being a large grower ourselves, it has a direct impact on our financial return.
Other positive commentary from growers relates to the work done by our local Grower Marketing consultants. Most of the team have direct agricultural backgrounds, so have an affinity with the challenges growers face each day. Their willingness to go over and above on a personal level, and their passion to see our growers succeed financially, means very few growers choose to leave Wilmar marketing.
Another pleasing result was the interest shown in our new Managed Pool Plus. The launch of this product for the 2025 season was in direct response to feedback regarding sugar price volatility.
As you know, the last 24 months have seen some big swings in sugar prices. Many growers who like the control of forward pricing are fatigued by the market gyrations. By laying off some of that control into the Managed Pool Plus, they get the benefit of having longer-term price management without the worry of having to watch the market on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, the concept of having access to the pool manager on a quarterly basis through a webinar format, provides further education around price risk management.
In October, we also initiated a comprehensive survey of our grower suppliers. It’s been a while since we’ve reached out to growers seeking direct feedback about our Grower Marketing offering and the broader business. The survey is open until next Friday (15 November). Please contact your local grower marketing consultant if you have not received an email invitation to complete the survey.
Again, thank you to all growers who chose Wilmar to manage their GEI price exposure for the 2025 season. Our team will work hard to ensure your trust is repaid.
Contributed with thanks to Simon Hood
Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing
Wilmar’s Burdekin Grower Marketing consultants, from left, Owen Richards, Meghan Wilson and Fiona Villis.