CBH unfazed by export rival

The potential impact of a new grain terminal in Bunbury on exports from Albany has been downplayed one month out from what is tipped to be another bumper harvest.

Agribusiness Bunge opened a $40 million transport facility at Bunbury Port on Friday, which ends CBH's monopoly on bulk grain exports from WA by offering growers an alternative pathway to market for the first time in more than 80 years.

At the opening, Bunge Australia general manager Chris Aucote said the aim was to export 200,000 tonnes by the end of the year and ramp up to 500,000 tonnes in 2015.

Since November last year, CBH's Albany terminal has exported 3 million tonnes , according to CBH Albany zone manager Greg Thornton.

Mr Thornton said CBH expected 3.5 million tonnes through the terminal this harvest, off the back of last year's record-breaking yields across WA, and was unconcerned for operations in the wake of the new entrant into the market.

He said there was 750,000 tonnes of carryover grain in the bins in Albany, which would drop to an estimated 300,000 tonnes by November and predicted harvest would begin around October 20.

In a bid to boost storage capacity, CBH will start construction of a new 140,000-tonne site on Down Road in December, to be ready to receive grain next harvest.

Albany Port Authority acting chief executive Sean Bolt also said he was not concerned that growers from the Albany Port Zone might be lured by Bunge to export from Bunbury, citing prohibitive transport costs.

He backed up Mr Thornton's expectations of about 3 million tonnes of receivals this season.

WAFarmers grain section president Kim Simpson, who crops wheat, barley and lupins in the Kwinana zone, said he doubted Bunge's "relatively small" terminal would make a dent in Albany's exports.

"You have got a good port at Albany so to head back up the coast by road would be a fairly expensive option for most growers," he said.

"I don't think it will affect Albany to any big degree - there may be a little bit of leakage of grain."