Cambridgeshire-based, farmer-owned grain marketing and storage company Fengrain is moving into Kent and growing its operation in East Anglia.

The new south-eastern grain operation will begin trading in January 2016, based near Canterbury.

The group is also building a further 10,000t of storage in Norfolk as part of a joint venture with the Crisp Malting Group (CMG).

See also: Fengrain members in line for payout

Fengrain has a 120,000t storage facility and markets grain for 900 members in the Eastern Counties, trading more than 600,000t of grain a year. The Kent grain trading business will be managed by buyer Tim Porter, who will join Fengrain as a senior trader early in 2016.

Mr Porter was until recently with Kent-based GH Grain, which was bought by merchant Frontier Agriculture in 2014.

The development in East Anglia is part of a joint storage venture with the Crisp Malting Group (CMG). Silo construction at the maltster’s Great Ryburgh facility in Fakenham will begin in January.

Fengrain recently paid out £500,000 to members, following a good trading result in its most recent year.

The deadline for farmers to sign up to Fengrain’s 2016 harvest pool is 1 January 2016, with its other pools have a 1 April 2016 cut-off.