Sydney Ports is working to improve the movement of cargo through Port Botany.

Sydney Ports has launched a series of forums across New South Wales aimed at working with regional exporters to ensure their products move efficiently to Port Botany and on to their overseas customers.

Last month, a forum was held at Narrabri to discuss how to improve the efficiency of moving cargo from the north-west region of NSW into Port Botany.

The forum included participants from all areas of the export supply chain, including agricultural exporters, rail operators, road operators, stevedores and international shipping lines, and senior logistics and trade representatives of Sydney Ports Corporation.

"It is vital we continue to seek the input and expertise of all parties involved in this process and these forums around the state will allow us to deliver better results," says Sydney Ports CEO Grant Gilfillan.

He says Port Botany will register its tenth consecutive annual trade growth record, with exporters from regional NSW accounting for more than 20% of full export containers moving through the port.

"Sydney Ports is supporting this growth by making significant investments to help producers across NSW export with greater ease and efficiency with our "paddock to port" supply chain focus."

The addition of a third container terminal at Port Botany, scheduled to start operating in early 2013, would improve stevedoring competition for exporters at the port-ship interface.