Qube already has two up-country packing and accumulation sites in NSW and Narrabri (not pictured) will be its third. Photo: Qube

VITERRA has sold its Narrabri Agri-Storage and Handling Facility in northern New South Wales to Qube for an undisclosed sum.

Located at 74 Boundary Street, Narrabri, the site has capacity to handle up to 11,000 containers, and connects with rail services to Port Botany.

The site includes shed, bunker and silo storage, and two packing locations, and will become part of Qube’s Agri business, part of its logistics and infrastructure division.

In a statement, Qube said the Narrabri site services a catchment area with more than one million hectares of country producing commodities including wheat, chickpeas, faba beans, barley and cotton.

Qube’ director of logistics and infrastructure John Digney said the acquisition will further enhance Qube’s paddock-to-port service offering.

Qube is already a significant operator in grain logistics in NSW with two bulk grain terminals, Newcastle Agri Terminal and Quattro at Port Kembla, and the former Agrigrain sites at Coonamble and Narromine.

Mr Digney said Qube would continue to utilise the Narrabri facility to move containerised grain through to Port Botany and other port facilities in NSW via Qube’s rail network serviced by the Qube fleet recently enhanced by the purchase of 20 new UGL built QL Class locos.

Viterra is South Australia’s biggest bulk handler by far, and trades grain, pulses and oilseeds procured across Australia.

“The sale of the site allows us to consolidate our operations and focus on our core business and network,” a Viterra spokesperson said.

“We will continue to be a leading buyer of commodities in the region with our accumulation team in Narrabri working closely with local growers.

“We will remain a customer of the site, buying commodities and packing containers for export and we look forward to working closely with Qube in the future.”

Outside of SA, Viterra will continue to own and operate a container-packing facility at Dooen in Victoria, and a storage and handling site at Werrimull, also in Victoria.

Viterra said its decision to sell the Narrabri facility was specific to that site and does not impact any other roles or operations across the business.

Viterra bought the Narrabri site in 2012 from IPS Logistics to originate and containerise grain beyond Viterra’s existing operations in south-eastern Australia.

In 2012, the site was said to have a storage capacity for 75,000 tonnes of grain, a packing facility with the capacity to load more than 10,000 shipping containers annually, and integrated rail access to facilities at Port Botany.

Source: Qube, Viterra