John and Joyce Pearson opened the Kyalite site in 1978 and it has been expanded considerably since. Photo: Pearsons Group

LOUIS Dreyfus Company Grains Australia has purchased Pearsons Group’s site at Kyalite in the south-west Riverina district of New South Wales for an undisclosed sum.

The site can store 80,000 tonnes of grain, and includes vertical storage and three large sheds, as well as a weighbridge and sample stand.

As of October 1, LDC will own and operate the Kyalite site, opened by John and Joyce Pearson in 1978, and extended in the 1980s and again in 2017.

Kyalite has been an important part of the Pearsons Group’s network of grain-storage and handling sites centred in the Swan Hill district.

The site was operated initially Mr and Mrs Pearson, and later managed by their children Darren Pearson and Kristie Parkes, as part of the widely respected Pearsons operation which involves bulk handling, storage, and transport, as well as the Swan Hill Stockfeeds business and associated services.

“The Pearson family and their team have done an amazing job managing the Kyalite site and LDC wishes them well with their future endeavours,” LDC said in a statement.

“This acquisition of the Kyalite site supports LDC’s strategic plans to further strengthen our position as a leading global merchant of agricultural goods, in this case by expanding our origination capacity in Australia, where we have been active for over a century, sourcing, processing and exporting grains, oilseeds and cotton.”

LDC has announced that Shane O’Meara will continue to operate the Kyalite site.

Transfer ahead for warehoused grain

From October 1, LDC has advised any grain warehoused at the Kyalite site will be transferred to LDC systems.

“In order to effect this change, from 5pm on September 29, outloads at the Kyalite site will be paused to allow all inventory and transactions to be transitioned to LDC’s systems.”

LDC plans to reopen the Kyalite site and have all transfers completed by approximately October 2.

The company has assured those with grain held at Kyalite that entitlements will be carefully managed, and grain will be made available as soon as possible under LDC’s new Grain Mate grower portal.

Oct storage fees waived

As a gesture of goodwill, and to allow time for all to adjust to new systems and operations, LDC has announced it will waive storage fees for the month of October on any current-crop grain transitioning from the old stock system.

“Receival fees on this old-season grain will also be carried across at the original rate that was agreed to under the previous 23/24 storage and handling agreement.

Source: LDC, Pearsons Group website