AU's Grain Handle Share Increases

WINNIPEG - Sep 15/04 - SNS -- Agricore United's share of the western Canadian grain handle increased during the first nine months of 2004, reaching 35.2%, compared to 34.5% for the first nine months of 2003, the company said in its latest quarterly report.

During the third quarter ending July 31, Agricore United handled 2,819,000 metric tons (MT) of grain at its country elevator division and 1,702,000 MT at its terminals. This is well above the 1,639,000 MT handled by the country elevator division last year and the 1,133 MT handled by the company's terminal elevators.

This lifted total movement through country elevators in the first nine months of 2004 to 7,562,000 MT, compared to 4,650,000 MT last year; and movement through its terminals to 3,985,000 MT so far this year, compared to 2,139,000 during the same nine-month period last year.

According to the Canadian Grain Commission, industry shipments totalled 21.5 million MT of the six major grains (wheat, barley, oats, canola, flax and peas) during the nine months ended July 31, 2004, an increase of 7.9 million MT (or 59%) over the same period in 2003. Industry shipments for the quarter ending July 31 were 7.8 million MT.

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