Grain Elevators Board Buys Devonport Mills

DONALD - Feb 19/03 - SNS -- The Tasmanian Grain Elevators Board has purchased North West Flour Mills from the Port of Devonport Corporation for A$140,000.

Announcing the deal, Bryan Green, Minister for Primary Industries, Water and Environment, said the Board bought the building for potential increased storage capacity. Devonport is the only bulk import terminal for grain in the State.

"The purchase of the old flour mills site is part of the Grain Elevators Board's strategic forward planning," Green said.

"An important part of that strategy is also to encourage local production of grain. There has been a tenfold increase over the past decade to more than 30,000 tons of locally grown grains. It is important that we promote local growing to move as far as we can towards self sufficiency. However, Tasmania will never be able to grow hard wheats, so we will still rely on grain imports."

Green said recent cutbacks in contracts for poppies and pyrethrum made it vital that the Board was able to continue offering farmers the option of growing alternative crops.

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