The Western Australian Government has fast-tracked plans for a Geraldton-based finfish nursery as part of its push to expedite investment in the Midwest Aquaculture Development Zone to create significant regional employment opportunities.

Accelerating processes for the design, fit-out and construction of the state-of-the-art Geraldton Marine Finfish Nursery will facilitate the supply of juvenile yellowtail kingfish to commercial aquaculture companies, a prerequisite for commercial scale farming.

The nursery's ability to provide seed stocks for grow-out in the sea cages of new and existing operations is central to the creation of new jobs and the growth of the local economy.

The WA Government has already approved $7 million for the construction and operation of the nursery and the Midwest Aquaculture Development Zone, and is prepared for new operations that are expected to significantly expand the region's economic opportunities.

The fast-tracking of project delivery is expected to foster a new level of confidence for ongoing investment in WA aquaculture.   More…  Source: WA Minister for Fisheries  |  Photo:  DPIRD [Yellowtail Kingfish in DPIRD's Fremantle Nursery]

Global fish stocks are healthy and abundant, says a new study, with Australia’s seafood industry encouraging consumers to support local, sustainable seafood as part of World Oceans Day celebrations.

“This study confirms again that Australia’s seafood industry is responsibility managed and produces some of the best seafood in the world,” Seafood Industry Australia Acting Chief Executive Officer, Veronica Papacosta said.

“As fishers, our priority is the ocean. It’s our livelihood, and the future livelihood of generations to come.”

The study into global fisheries management, published in the January edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed reported fisheries catches are in good shape. The international project, led by the University of Washington, compiled and analysed data from fisheries around the world.    More...  Source:  SIA / PNAS  |  Related: Fish stocks aplenty and Australian fisheries among most sustainable  Source: Farmonline  |   Sustainable seafood could feed a billion people a day  Source:  Forbes  | Photo:  DPIRD

The Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has issued an Industry Advice Notice (IAN) inviting interested exporters to apply for tariff rate quota allocations for carrot and potato exports to Indonesia for the 2020 quota year.

Exporters wishing to access the carrot or potato tariff rate quotas (TRQs) to Indonesia in 2020 must submit a completed IA-CEPA vegetable TRQ entitlement allocation application by the end of 19 June 2020 to the Quota Administration Unit. Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted.

Allocations are made proportionally, based on all applicants’ export history of eligible products.  Exporters should refer to Part 2 of Chapter 3 of the Export Control (Tariff Rate Quotas) Order 2019 for full details.

An allocation of carrot or potato quota for 2020 can be used for export consignments arriving in Indonesia from 5 July to 31 December 2020.

For further information regarding this IAN, please email the Quota Administration Unit at quota.admin@awe.gov.au.  More...  Source: DAWE  |  Photo:  DPIRD

There is an increased demand in India for Australian canola oil, following the partial shutdown of some palm oil refineries in Southeast Asia as well as the lower Australian dollar, Austrade reports in its latest market insight.

Typically, canola oil is imported in bulk and bottled locally. Demand for Australian canola oil is partly fed by healthy lifestyle trends among upper middle-income and high-net-worth individuals. India imported 14.9 million tonnes of edible oil from November 2018 to October 2019, of which 60 per cent was palm oil. 

Western Australian agrifood exports to India in 2018-19 were valued at $56.4 million, down 27 per cent from $77.2 million the previous year, partly due to WA not exporting any wheat to India in 2018-19.  WA’s top two agrifood exports to India in 2018-19 were raw wool ($37.7 million), and oats ($12.9 million).  More...  Source:  Austrade / DPIRD  |  Photo:  DPIRD

While many industries are bunkered down, the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) has been working with a number of Western Australian seafood exporters confidently stepping up with a vision to consolidate and expand post COVID-19 and diversify WA’s export markets.

Ten WA seafood companies participated in an online one-on-one business-matching event in Singapore last week, securing 18 meetings with key buyers from across the region.

This was an event run by Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL), a not-for-profit organisation working alongside Austrade and the Australian Government to support our seafood and agribusiness sectors through sharing knowledge, building capability and creating connections.

WAFIC had a primary role working closely with FIAL ensuring export-ready WA seafood companies participated in this virtual business matching forum.  More…  Source: WAFIC  |  Photo:  DPIRD

COVID-19 is affecting many e-commerce businesses and how consumers shop online. In this difficult time, many brick-and-mortar retailers are watching foot traffic and sales drop to near zero. The most significant shift in consumer behaviour is happening in e-commerce globally. In China, e-commerce platforms are reporting behavioural and demographic shifts. During Spring Festival, daily usage of e-commerce platforms grew 56 per cent week-on-week. Two weeks later it was up a further 96 per cent.

Austrade is working with a number of partners to share market insights on how COVID-19 has impacted cross border e-commerce in different aspects.  In this webinar on 22 June at 1 pm AWST, Kevin Li, Business Development Director, from Alibaba Group, and Robin Lu, Austrade Business Development Manager for food and beverage products will discuss performance of food and beverage products in Tmall, Taobao and Kaola during COVID-19 in China, and in Lazada during COVID-19 in ASEAN markets; how to engage with online marketplaces in China and ASEAN; and what are some of the regulatory requirements for food and beverage products for selling online in China and ASEAN..  More…  Source: Austrade  |  Photo:  WA Agrifood Export eNews

The world’s appetite for fish and fish products shows no sign of slowing, according to the 2020 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Produced by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, this report demonstrates the significant and growing role of fisheries and aquaculture in providing food, nutrition and employment.

The fisheries and aquaculture sector significantly expanded in the past decades and total production, trade and consumption reached an all-time record in 2018.

However, since early 1990s, most growth in production from the sector as a whole has been from aquaculture, while capture fisheries production has been relatively stable, with some growth essentially concerning inland capture.

From 1990 to 2018, global capture fisheries production rose 14 per cent, while global aquaculture production rose a massive 527 per cent, and at the same time total food fish consumption rose 122 per cent.  More…  |  Related:  SOFIA 2020 Interactive  |  Source & Photo: FAO

Trade and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have an important role to play in steering global recovery towards a sustainable course for the well-being of the world’s population and the planet in the wake of COVID-19, speakers said last week during a webinar to mark United Nations World Environment Day.

“Protecting the planet is not a luxury. It's a necessity. The COVID-19 pandemic has rightly drawn our attention to the health crisis, along with its immense social and economic effects,” WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said in a video message to the online event.

“Rising environmental stresses leave our societies vulnerable to natural disasters, resource scarcity and disease.  And we know that it is the poorest who suffer the most.  In fact, a collective response on trade that fosters sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience is what this crisis calls for,” he said.

“By diversifying supply chains, they reduce the vulnerability of whole communities to environmental risks.   Reliable regional and international supply chains reduce vulnerability to localised shocks."

Mr Azevêdo also said WTO members are still working hard to reach an agreement on curbing harmful fisheries subsidies.  More…  Source & Photo: WTO