Cefetra grain pool outperforms market at over £200/t in 2024
© Tim Scrivener Glasgow-based grain merchant Cefetra says its marketing pool outperformed the wider UK market by £15/t during 2024.
Cefetra says its grain-buying team was able to achieve “market beating” results by using a dynamic pool system, which allowed its traders to use analytics to secure prices throughout the season to maximise the value of a crop.
The firm handles roughly 5m tonnes of grain each year and has ambitions of growing its pool further.
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Andrew Buck, manager of UK committed grain at Cefetra, said: “We believe Cefetra’s dynamic pools are among the best-kept secrets in the industry as last year we averaged more than £200/t, well outperforming the market averages.
He added that prices were set when traders believed the time was right to benefit pool members the most.
Mr Buck said: “Cefetra’s dynamic pools have outperformed our ‘managed’ pools throughout the year, due to the high percentage of dynamic sales made before last harvest for the upcoming crop.
“Based on the evidence we have seen, our ‘managed’ pools outperformed our competitors by up to £15/t, net of marketing commission, giving confidence that we have exceeded competitors.”
Cefetra plans to expand its pool further for the 2025-26 crop year and take on new suppliers across the UK.
Mr Buck added: “Our 2025 dynamic pools are still open, so any farmer with additional tonnage should contact their local farm buyer to find out more.
“The feedback from suppliers has been excellent so we look forward to working more closely with more farmers this year.”