National Farmers Federation Chief Executive Tony Mahar says the Federal Government and suppliers have provided advice that there is sufficient supplies of the diesel additive, AdBlue.
“The NFF issued a mayday call to Government after concerns were raised about an AdBlue shortage due to a limited supply of urea,” Mr Mahar said.
“We understood there was already up to six weeks of AdBlue on hand in Australia, and we have been assured new supply has been secured from a wide range of sources including Indonesia and the Middle East. Local supplies are also being boosted.
“This now must be business-as-usual in terms of AdBlue supplies on hand, noting its very short shelf life.
Greater certainty around supply is a relief to farmers who are harvesting a record winter grain crop and to the greater supply chain, which is operating at full capacity ahead of Christmas.
Mr Mahar said the AdBlue concerns had reiterated the need for an industry-government advisory board on critical supply chains (beyond the AdBlue issue) and the imperative to invest in the development of improved domestic manufacturing capabilities for key inputs such as fertiliser and chemical.
“For the past 18 months, farmers have been on a rollercoaster of angst fueled by uncertainty of access to the plant protection products, fertilisers and machinery they need to get the job done.
“We cannot leave these issues to chance anymore, we need our best and brightest from industry and government to anticipate and scenario plan for any potential imminent or future supply chain disruptions and build contingencies to ensure our industries and the Australian economy can withstand such headwinds.”
Mr Mahar also noted the ‘tremendous’ news that Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (Incitec Pivot) had acquired a majority stake in Australian Bio Fert Pty Ltd (ABF) and would build Australia’s first large scale plant to develop and deliver a new category of sustainable fertilisers for Australian farmers.
“This is just the sort of development Australian agriculture needs more of to reduce our dependency on imported inputs. The NFF congratulates Incitec Pivot, under the leadership of President Stephan Titze, on its vision, investment and commitment to advancing the interests of Australian farmers.”
‘We hope, aided by the Government’s Modern Manufacturing Fund, to see a whole lot more home-grown manufacturing ventures established, ideally in regional Australia,” Mr Mahar said.