The grains industry are coming together in late March to celebrate 30 years of leading industry association, Grain Trade Australia (GTA) facilitating trade.

Just over thirty years ago, on the 16th March 1991, an innovative group of Australian grain leaders established the National Agricultural Commodities Marketing Association (known as NACMA).

The first meeting of NACMA, in Tamworth, set out with an aim to standardise grain trading standards, trade rules and grain contracts across the Australian grain industry. Its purpose was to enable efficient facilitation of trade across the grain supply chain.

Originally an ‘association of associations’, the 1991 founding member organisations included:

• Australian Grain Exporters Association
• Grain and Agricultural Commodities Association of SA
• Grain and Feed Trade Association Inc
• Melbourne Corn Exchange
• QLD Produce Seed and Grain Merchant Association
• Rural Merchant Supply Association

NACMA helped put in place frameworks that assisted the Australian grain industry’s transition from the single desk to deregulation, and become the pre-eminent grain trade organisation in Australia. In 2009, NACMA stepped into its next phase as it officially became Grain Trade Australia (GTA). While the governance and organisational framework may have changed, GTA’s mission and charter remained the same.

GTA became heavily involved in trade and market access committees both in Australia and overseas, as well as managing the development of grain standards which formed the basis of trade for domestic and export contracts.

Membership grew from five grain trade organisations to a national organisation with around 280 members. Technical committees were established to ensure industry deliberations were actively debated and resolved, and contact with overseas grain trade organisations continued to grow.

GTA soon became the ‘go to’ grain organisation for many government (both State and Federal) and overseas grain related organisations. GTA also became a member of the Management Council for the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC), contributing to the facilitation of the commercial functions associated with global grain trade.

As GTA celebrates 30 years, the vision, mission and structure remain clear and in lin with the original founding goals:

• Vision: An efficient, equitable and open commercial grain industry in Australia
• Mission: To facilitate and promote trade by providing products, services and advocacy for the Australian grain value chain
• Structure: Non-political and member driven and managed

This is achieved through the development of:

• Industry Driven Self-Regulatory Framework
• Industry Codes (Including the key Australian Grain Industry Code of Practice and more than 20 supporting Codes & Technical Guideline Documents
• GTA Grain Trading Standards
• GTA Contracts
• GTA Trade Rules which underpin the GTA contracts and include the appropriate rules and customs for the handling of trade between counterparties
• GTA Dispute Resolution Service
• Trade Policy and Market Access
• Training and Professional Development
• Industry Conferences
• Sector Councils
• Technical Committees
• Industry Partnership and Collaboration

Pat O’Shannassy, CEO of Grain Trade Australia, said “With around 280 members, GTA continues to grow from strength to strength. Our goal remains to create an operating environment for the commercial grain industry that is efficient, effective and transparent. This would not have been possible without the dedication, time and effort of the people and associations who founded NACMA back in 1991. Volunteer participation has been vital to the ongoing development of the grains industry, and the Australian grains industry owes a collective thanks to all those who have contributed along the way. Our 30th Anniversary will be a chance to celebrate how far we have become, and importantly reflect on the foresight of these founders who had the vision and drive to establish GTA.”

So mark your calendars and join the industry for the 30th Pearl Anniversary of Grain Trade Australia. Past and present grains industry participants including NACMA and GTA members are encouraged to attend.