Grain growers urged to look for top prices

Ireland: As grain harvesting reached a peak, growers were urged yesterday to settle for nothing less than €100/t and €110/t respectively for barley and wheat.

IFA Grain Committee chairman Paddy Harrington said many growers are achieving prices €2/t to €4/t above these figures.

He said €100 to €102/t is freely on offer for green barley and prices are still hardening.

Wheat is fetching a premium of €10 to €13/t over barley.

Barley has now become more attractive as dried wheat prices moved to €135/t to €136/t collected ex store on Monday.

While €130/t is on offer for dried barley for November.

With over 90% of the spring barley now cut and an expectation that the spring barley harvest will be wrapped up by the weekend, grain buyers have become extremely active in the market in the last number of days.

Mr Harrington said many growers, because of the low grain moistures and the ridiculously low prices on offer from the two major buyers, tipped the grain in stores and on slabs.

"They are now in a stronger position to bargain for a realistic price for their grain and are achieving prices in excess of €100/t for barley and €110/t for wheat," he said.

Mr Harrington said they should demand a realistic market price for their grain as €100 to €102/t and €110 to €113/t is freely on offer for barley and wheat, respectively.