Just over thirty years ago, on the 16th March 1991, an innovative group of Australian grain leaders established the National Agricultural Commodities Marketing Association (known as NACMA). The first meeting of NACMA, in Tamworth, set out with an aim to standardise grain trading standards, trade rules and grain contracts across the Australian grain industry. Its purpose was to enable efficient facilitation of trade across the grain supply chain.

Originally an ‘association of associations’, the 1991 founding member organisations included:

• Australian Grain Exporters Association
• Grain and Agricultural Commodities Association of SA
• Grain and Feed Trade Association Inc
• Melbourne Corn Exchange
• QLD Produce Seed and Grain Merchant Association
• Rural Merchant Supply Association

NACMA helped put in place frameworks that assisted the Australian grain industry’s transition from the single desk to deregulation, and become the pre-eminent grain trade organisation in Australia.

In February 2009, NACMA stepped into its next phase as it officially became Grain Trade Australia (GTA). While the governance and organisational framework may have changed, GTA’s mission and charter remained the same.

GTA became heavily involved in trade and market access committees both in Australia and overseas, as well as managing the development of Grain Trading Standards which formed the basis of trade for domestic and export contracts. Membership grew from five grain trade organisations to a national organisation with around 280 members. Technical committees were established to ensure industry deliberations were actively debated and resolved, and contact with overseas grain trade organisations continued to grow.

GTA soon became the ‘go to’ grain organisation for many government (both State and Federal) and overseas grain related organisations. GTA also became a member of the Management Council for the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC), contributing to the facilitation of the commercial functions associated with global grain trade.