GRAIN-TRADING giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is preparing to export a potentially record-breaking shipment of sorghum from Brisbane.
About 66,000 tonnes of sorghum grain - destined for human food in China - was scheduled to start loading on to the Panama-size ship on Monday.
It is hoped the ship will set sail to China by the end of the week when it could become Queensland's largest ever sorghum shipment.
ADM invited a group of Darling Downs growers and a local Elders' representative to tour the craft on Tuesday.
Arriving at the GrainCorp-owned port, the group were greeted by the enormous 738 feet (225 metres) long and 105 feet (32m) wide docked ship. Stepping onto its deck, Darling Downs grain grower Brian Strand said the transporter was "quite impressive".
He has grown sorghum for 30 years and finished harvesting his latest crop in April.
Mr Strand grew 2200 hectares of sorghum at his property, Wyobie, near Jimbour, with the range of varieties including Pioneer G33, MR-Buster and MR-Scorpio.
The crop returned almost 4t/ha; below-average yields were due to a "hot and dry spring".
Thanks to successful marketing, though, Mr Strand capitalised on increased sorghum prices to secure almost $300/t average. ADM Toowoomba accumulation manager Michael Vaughan said he expected prices to stay firm.
"The Downs have probably been seeing $270-290/t at the local depot for their sorghum and a lot have been very happy with that price," Mr Vaughan said.
He said over half Queensland's sorghum crop - expected to total over 1 million tonnes - was likely to be exported this year. However, it appears this may be the only sorghum shipment for ADM from Brisbane for 2015.
"The sorghum crop probably had good prospects back in February, but the crop has shrunk since then," Mr Vaughan said.
"Right now there's plenty of sorghum to service the Chinese market and there's plenty to meet domestic demand."
