CBH director and long-serving SEPWA member Steve Tilbrook also used the farm group's annual forum to thank Esperance zone growers and bid an emotional farewell after almost a decade on the CBH board.

Changes to the CBH board election boundaries late last year effectively left Mr Tilbrook without a board position linked directly with growers in the Esperance region.

He decided not to seek re-election for another term in another District at this year's board elections, despite being eligible to do so under the new rules.

Mr Tilbrook also announced a $14 million upgrade to the Munglinup CBH facility at the SEPWA debrief, but declined to expand on his views of CBH's structure.

He said the company had structural limitations to its capacity to return profits to growers, from its Asian flour mills, which he described as one of the company's "greatest achievements" during his time, in line with its corporate plan to link growers with customers.

He also thanked his family and Esperance growers for their support during his time on the board, and also paid tribute to CBH staff and chairman Neil Wandel for encouraging him to run for the board.

Mr Tilbrook said although he was elected by Esperance growers as a CBH director, he had always acted in the best interests of the company.

The $14m Munglinup expansion starts this week and will see a 60 tonne covered storage facility built, along with two open bulkheads.

The work is due to be completed by mid-October, in time for harvest.

Mr Wandel said the Munglinup expansion was urgently needed because CBH was "under pressure from canola".

He said canola cropping was growing by 10 per cent each year in the region.

"Esperance is proving to be one of the most reliable canola growing areas in the State," he said.

The SEPWA executive committee elections were also held at the harvest debrief in Esperance last week.

The four successful candidates were Leon Bowman, Andrew Chambers, Craig Newman and Lyndon Mickel.

Mr Mickel was successfully re-elected and became the new president at the new executive's first meeting this week.