Choosing suitable export partners and figuring out how to work together is a key skill, often found in the success stories of leading agribusinesses, both large and small.

Join us to hear insights gleaned from multiple agrifood Australian exporters, in particular, to learn how you can form productive, strategic partnerships along your value chain.

Understand how to:

• Identify suitable long-term partners.
• Develop a stronger market position.
• Improve your export results.

Facilitators will be Dr David McKinna and Catherine Wall from McKINNA et al, an agrifood strategy consultancy.  Their long-standing experience in export development is drawn from virtually every industry, particularly meat, seafood, dairy, horticulture, wine and packaged foods.

This event is exclusively for Western Australian agriculture, food and beverage producers and processors.

Perth – Wednesday 21 April     12 noon to 3pm
Bluewater Grill Restaurant, 58 Duncraig Road, Applecross

Bunbury – Thursday 22 April   10am to 12 noon
Quality Hotel Lighthouse, 2 Marlston Drive, Bunbury

Register your free place at dpird.eventbrite.com by Wednesday 14 April 2021.

This opportunity is brought to you by Partnering for Customer Value, an initiative of the State Government to provide WA’s agrifood businesses with research and business intelligence on practices that lead to international competitiveness and improved export capacity, and the Western Australian Premium Beef Project – a joint-funded initiative by DPIRD and Meat and Livestock Australia.  Source:  DPIRD  |  Photo:  iStock

Owners and managers of food, wine and tourism businesses looking to refresh and develop new visitor experiences – with a particular focus on the Singapore market – should attend the Swan Valley Wine and Culinary Tourism Symposium.

Taking place at the Mandoon Estate in the Swan Valley on 21 April 2021, this event should interest producers and exporters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who are keen to develop a visitor or tourism experience as part of their businesses.

Hosted by the Forum Advocating Cultural and Eco-Tourism (FACET) – a WA-based network and information resource for people with an interest in cultural, nature based and eco-tourism – the symposium will be opened by Hon Alannah MacTiernan MLC, WA's Minister for Regional Development; Agriculture and Food.  Source: FACET  |  Photo:   Kelsey Knight / Unsplash

As the Federal Government’s export credit agency, Export Finance Australia provides finance solutions to businesses unable to access finance from the private market.

Their specialised finance solutions have helped hundreds of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and corporate businesses access the finance they need through direct loans, bonds to secure export-related projects, and guarantees to secure bank finance.

By putting their customers at the centre of everything they do, Export Finance Australia builds genuine partnerships with the businesses they work with.

If your business needs finance, Export Finance Australia may be able to help. Speak to the team to discuss how their finance solutions could help make more possible.  Get in touch at 1800 093 724 or visit the website.  Source and Graphic:  Export Finance Australia

The trade and investment relationship between Australia and India will be strengthened by the Australia India Business Exchange (AIBX) which was launched this week.

The AIBX will provide businesses in both nations with market insights and connections to foster commercial partnerships that will help generate jobs and business opportunities in Australia and India.

For example, AIBX:

• Will assist Australia’s premium food, beverage and consumer product providers to access e-commerce channels to offer Indian consumers greater access to our high-quality products.
• Will support services and technology providers to grow partnerships and build resilient supply chains in the mining, resources and infrastructure sectors.

“Australia and India already share common values, interests and histories and the Australia India Business Exchange will strengthen that friendship,” Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said at the launch.

“AIBX presents opportunities to build on our close people-to-people ties and shared vision for a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. AIBX will give business owners the confidence and capability to engage across our two markets.”

India was Australia’s eighth largest trading partner and third-largest market for services export in 2019-20. Two-way goods and services trade totalled $26.2 billion in 2019-20, and the two-way stock of investment was $36.7 billion in 2019. 

AIBX delivers on commitments in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Australian Government’s response to the India Economic Strategy. The 2021 program will be overseen by Austrade and include virtual events, in-market activities and online resources to support Australians and Indians throughout the business exchange.  More...  Source and Graphic:  Australian Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism / Austrade / DFAT

Austrade monitors trade activity and patterns in order to provide valuable information to exporters. The latest insights from Austrade show Japan eclipsing China as Australia’s largest export destination for beef.

Australia's beef exports to Japan in 2020, despite being affected by pandemic-related disruptions, reached $2.25 billion, slightly higher than what was achieved in 2018. Retail, e-commerce and fast-food channels supported sales and offset the decline associated with food service and supermarket closures.  Demands via these channels are predicted to increase.

Interestingly, cheese sales to Japan have soared, with demand exhibiting double-digit growth for five consecutive months during 2020. This surge in figures is thought to be related to increased alcohol consumption at home.  More...  Source:  Austrade  |  Photo:  Tianshu Liu / Unsplash

The Australian dairy industry has weathered the “severe global storm” and emerged in good shape with the southern export sector on track to report healthy profitability for the third consecutive season –  and similarly strong result expected in the majority of dairying regions in Australia – according to Rabobank’s recently-released dairy seasonal outlook.

In its annual Australian Dairy Seasonal Outlook – In Pursuit of History, the agribusiness banking specialist says the industry, which has been plagued by market and climatic disruptions, is now “staring down history” with the prospect of a trifecta of profitable annual returns for dairy producers in the southern export region.

Rabobank senior dairy analyst Michael Harvey says “if successful, it would be the first time since benchmarking began in 2006-07 that three consecutive years have exceeded industry targets”.

Effectively marking the end of an extended period of low-margin volatility, this return to profitability is “remarkable”, Mr Harvey says, “given the challenges the industry has had in previous seasons and that they have just come through a pandemic”.

“The elevated outlook for the milk price is key to profitability,” he says, “but also favourable seasonal conditions and livestock trading conditions.”

“Price signals ahead of the 2021-22 season remain favourable, with the upside and downside risks to the global outlook more balanced then they were this time last year. That said, while the pandemic-related uncertainty has subsided, it has certainly not disappeared.”

Mr Harvey says global freight and logistical challenges, which are complicating the outlook and market dynamics, are set to recede by mid-2021.  More...  Source:  Rabobank  |  Photo:  DPIRD

With a growing demand for sustainable and healthy food, sea cucumbers may just be the next big thing for European aquaculture. Closely related to sea urchins and starfish, they are the marine equivalents of terrestrial earthworms: they rework and re-oxygenate the seabed, and feed on the waste produced by other organisms, such as oysters.

Asian cultures appreciate the species for its delicate flavour and use it in traditional medicine. International trade in sea cucumbers has been recorded as early as the 18th century.  And as the international demand continues to increase, putting pressure on wild stocks, farming sea cucumbers is not just a lucrative economic opportunity, but also a way to protect marine biodiversity.

The European Union-funded sea cucumber project HOLOFARM at Rennes in France explores how farming sea cucumbers in Europe can make a difference. Once the necessary techniques have been developed, sea cucumber farming can be replicated anywhere in European coastal areas where local conditions suit particular species, with production in either dedicated or integrated multi-trophic facilities.

Through controlled production, HOLOFARM wants to improve sustainable sourcing options for markets around the world and relieve pressure on natural stocks.  More...  Source and Photos:  European Commission

In January this year the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected global economic growth at 5.5%, but IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said a further acceleration is now expected, partly because of additional policy support and partly because of the expected vaccine-powered recovery in many advanced economies later this year.

Speaking to the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF in Washington DC last week, Ms Georgieva said this allows for an upward revision to the IMF's global forecast for this year and for 2022.

"How we got to this point is a tale of extraordinary effort: nurses and doctors saving lives, essential workers supporting livelihoods, scientists from around the world working together to create vaccines in record time. And governments took exceptional measures – including about US$16 trillion in fiscal action and a massive liquidity injection by central banks," she said.

"Without these synchronised measures, the global contraction last year would have been at least three times worse. Just think about it – this could have been another Great Depression.

"Also, we did not have another global financial crisis – not just because of the extraordinary measures, but also because countries had worked together over the past decade to make banking systems more resilient."  More...  Source and Photo:  IMF