E-commerce in India continues to see remarkable growth, with the sector expected to grow from A$42 billion in 2019 to A$200 billion by 2027, led by an estimated 350 million shoppers.

For food and consumer goods, India has embraced online shopping faster than almost anywhere else in the world, due to retail marketplace disruptors like Amazon and FlipKart.  They have given Indian consumers easy access to a wider range of products, while helping exporters reach more customers. 

In a webinar this week, Amazon India and Austrade highlighted how food and (non-alcohol) beverage exporters can list on the Australian store and what type of products appeal, with Manuka honey being a current favourite with consumers. Amazon also said demand for superfood products is very high across the entire Amazon India site.

The company is actively seeking to grow the number of Australian products on the Australian Store, which was launched in February 2020 as a part of Austrade’s Australia-India Business Exchange program.  Austrade is working closely with Amazon India to support Australian businesses looking for effective pathways to reach Indian consumers. 

Interested exporters can email Austrade at india@austrade.gov.au for more information. 

To view a recording of this week's webinar, click here.  Source:  Austrade  |  Graphic:  Austrade/Amazon

Looking to diversify your export markets?  India and Indonesia should be on your priority list.

India was the world’s fastest growing economy prior to COVID-19 – even surpassing China.  It is still expected to become the world’s fifth largest economy in 2023. Indonesia is the largest economy in South-East Asia, and the fourth most populous country in the world. Given these companies are powerhouses with rising incomes and a growing middle-class. Australia has much to offer both economies, as they are complementary to ours.

On 25 February 2021 at 12 noon AWST, join the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Austrade, the Export Council of Australia and private sector experts to gain insights into the opportunities and risks of doing business with India and Indonesia.  More...  Source:  Austrade  | Photo:  Unsplash / Eko Herwantoro [Jakarta, Indonesia]

Business Event grants are now available to support your attendance at the World Fisheries Congress 2021 (WFC2021) taking place in Adelaide from 20 to 24 September 2021.

WFC2021 is an approved Business Event for the Federal Government’s $50 million Business Events Grant program.

Australian businesses exhibiting, sponsoring or sending delegates to attend the WFC2021 are now able to apply for funding to cover up to 50 per cent of eligible costs to support their participation in the Congress. Grant funding of between $10,000 and $250,000 to meet eligible costs is available.

Eligible costs can include but are not limited to travel, accommodation, registration, exhibition costs and sponsorship packages.

Applications close 30 March 2021 or earlier, if funding is exhausted, so don’t miss the opportunity to take advantage of the grants program.  More...  Related:  Deadline to submit WFC2021 abstracts extended to 1 March  |  Source:  WFC2021

At the start of last year, a new trend began picking up steam: seaganism. It's where people follow a vegan diet but include sustainably sourced seafood for healthy extra protein and an occasional fleshy treat. Seagans not only add fish to mealtimes for variety but to benefit from high quality omega-3 fatty acids that can be hard to source from a traditional vegan diet.

And according to the Marine Stewardship Council, it's a trend that dovetails well with a renewed focus on home-harvested regional food. This is born partly as a result of lockdown restrictions and quashed international travel, as well as a growing awareness of provenance and a desire to support local farmers and fishers.

The MSC says another seafood trend is being driven by cost and sustainability concerns, as chefs widen the net to use every part of the fish. 

"We should take 2020 as a lesson to always be prepared for the future ... accountability, authenticity and abundance will be big trends in 2021," says Lucas Glanville, Director of Culinary Operations Grand Hyatt Singapore and South-East Asia."  More...  Source:  MSC  |  Photo:  DPIRD/BWEB [Barbequed Carnarvon prawns]

Six Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have signed onto the ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS) to facilitate the cross-border transit movement of goods within the ASEAN region, Austrade reports in its ASEAN region update for Australian exporters.

The ACTS links Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  The ACTS represents a deeper integration of ASEAN economies and will facilitate greater intra-ASEAN trade and promote the free flow of goods.

With ACTS in place, a truck can travel from its point of loading to its destination in a different country with fewer obstacles and delays. There is no need for a different customs declaration at each border, and no need to transfer the goods to a different truck in each country. The duties and taxes at risk are covered by a single guarantee for all the countries involved in the transit operation.

Austrade also says the acceleration of e-commerce continues, with a survey by Facebook and Bain and Company revealing that consumers in Southeast Asia bought groceries online almost three times more often in 2020 as compared to 2019.  More...  Source:  Austrade  |  Photo:  ACTS

The global pandemic made 2020 a challenging year for the wine industry and, while on-premise consumption is forecast to start to recover later in 2021, developments over the past year are expected to have a lasting impact on the structure of the global wine industry and what it takes for future success, according to Rabobank’s latest global Wine Quarterly report.

“After years of increasing fragmentation in the industry, we see a context forming that will create additional advantages for larger wineries and support industry consolidation,” US-based Rabobank global strategist beverages Stephen Rannekleiv said.

The quarter one report says changes to the global wine industry structure will be driven by several key factors.

“Small, independent restaurants are a critical sales channel for small wineries in most major markets. Sales in this channel will improve dramatically when social-distancing measures are lifted, but it will likely take years before they return to pre-pandemic levels. From a structural perspective, we believe that the prolonged recovery of the independent on-premise channel will create challenges for the small wineries that depended on them for access to the market,” Mr Rannekleiv said.

"Larger wineries will have an advantage in the increased share of off-premise sales and will likely also gain share in the on-premise, due to the rising influence of restaurant chains.”  Source:  Rabobank  |  Photo  DPIRD

AgriFutures Australia has partnered with Cicada GrowLab to launch the evokeAG Grassroots Series, a six-week digital content and mentoring program focused on providing founders with the information on building agrifood tech businesses that will shape our future agrifood system.

Each week a specific theme will feature the foundational building blocks of agrifood tech entrepreneurship.

Startups will explore what is needed to launch a successful venture, gain exposure to industry experts and hear from like-minded founders who share a similar vision of changing the world, all while learning business skills that will help increase competitiveness.  More...  Source and Photo/Graphic:  evokeAG

In this live and interactive webinar series from the Australian Deparment of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, you will be able to get free advice on improving cold chain efficiency, trends and packaging. 

These seminars have been designed by industry leaders for Australian businesses which rely upon effective cold chain processes and solutions to reduce cost and food waste within their business operations.

Webinar 1:  Optimise your cold chain – 10 to 11 am AWST, 3 March 2021

Webinar 2:  Food packaging for cold chain – 10 to 11 am AWST, 11 March 2021

Webinar 3:  Cold chain packaging technology showcase – 10 to 11 am AWST, 17 March 2021

You will need to register for each date in order to receive the Zoom link for that session.  Source: DISER  |  Photo:  DPIRD [Cold storage exports container ship, Port of Fremantle]