No images? Click here
23 April 2024
Western Australian
agrifood export eNews
More than 30 Western Australian businesses from throughout the state are represented at Food and Hotel Asia’s Singapore Expo, which started in Singapore today and attracts more than 60,000 visitors from 50 countries.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Invest and Trade WA are leading the WA showcase and support participants with business matching, networking events and retails tours.
The WA display includes local jarrah honey, dairy products, red meat, abalone, bush foods, truffles, health drinks, coffee, snacks, confectionary, beer, wine and artisanal spirts.
DPIRD Agribusiness, Food and Trade Executive Director Liam O’Connell said the Asia Pacific was WA’s biggest agrifood and beverage customer and the market was continuing to grow.
“The department is working alongside industry to cultivate market opportunities for WA’s premium quality value-add products,” he said.
“International trade exhibitions like Food and Hotel Asia provide a great platform to promote WA agrifood and beverage businesses in the region and beyond to potential customers from around the world.”
Source and Photo: DPIRD
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is hosting its flagship event, Turning the Dial (TtD), to support the Western Australian food and beverage sector's shift towards a circular economy.
Taking place on 30 May 2024 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, TtD aims to guide businesses on their path to sustainability. The event kicks off at 8:30 am and concludes at 5:00 pm, followed by a networking reception until 7:00 pm.
The event will feature plenary sessions, panel discussions, and breakout workshops on each of the key topics of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, sustainable packaging, and food waste transformation.
This event is a valuable opportunity for businesses in the WA food and beverage sector to connect, learn, and implement sustainable practices. The full agenda and speaker details can be found on the event website. Early bird tickets are available until 30 April 2024.
Source and Image: DPIRD
WA WINES TO THE WORLD has just launched the first ever national sommelier competition in the United States, focused solely on Western Australian wines and wine regions. Engagement with WA producers has been strong, with 14 producers signing up to take part, representing Margaret River, Great Southern and Swan Valley wine regions. Response from US wine industry professionals has been extremely positive with 41 sign-ups within the first 48 hours of launch.
The Western Australian Wine Competition represents an exciting opportunity for WA wine brands currently being distributed in the US. The competition program comprises:
- 8 April: Promotion to US wine professionals was launched.
- 10 June: Online theory exam for wine professionals across the US.
- 25-27 August: Promotion of WA wines at TEXSOM 2024, the nation's premier beverage education event held annually in Dallas, Texas.
- 28 August: In-person finals in Houston, Texas. This will be an afternoon dedicated to WA wines, incorporating tasting/service portions for 6 to 12 finalists, a trade masterclass, plus numerous tasting opportunities for trade and consumers, with wines on sale.
For more information and enquiries, please refer to the WA WINES TO THE WORLD web page or contact Program Manager Liz Mencel at liz@hydraconsulting.com.au.
Source and Image: Wines of WA
Australia's science agency, CSIRO, is giving small and medium businesses (SMEs) a major boost with a $20 million investment to improve their access to research and development (R&D). This initiative aims to accelerate SME growth and solidify their role as innovation engines in the Australian economy.
CSIRO's SME Connect team will utilise the funding to support up to 750 SMEs through various programs. These programs offer facilitation, training, and financial assistance, including dollar-matched funding for company-led R&D projects.
A flagship program, CSIRO Kick-Start, has already seen significant success. Since its launch in 2017, Kick-Start has facilitated over 280 R&D projects for SMEs, with participating companies boasting a combined market value exceeding $2 billion.
Source: CSIRO | Photo: CSIRO © Geoffrey Dunn [Black Soldier Fly larvae transforming food waste into sustainable by-products (protein and frass). Goterra, an award-winning start-up based in Canberra, is an example of the success stories emerging from CSIRO’s SME Connect programs.]
Greater digitalisation and heightened geopolitical tensions imply that the risk of a cyber attack with systemic consequences has risen, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Cyber attacks have more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic. While companies have historically suffered relatively modest direct losses from cyber attacks, some have experienced a much heavier toll. United States credit reporting agency Equifax, for example, paid more than US$1 billion in penalties after a major data breach in 2017 that affected about 150 million consumers.
The IMF says the risk of extreme losses from cyber incidents is increasing. Such losses could potentially cause funding problems for companies and even jeopardise their solvency. The size of these extreme losses has more than quadrupled since 2017 to US$2.5 billion. And indirect losses like reputational damage or security upgrades are substantially higher.
Source: IMF | Photo: Kaitlyn Baker / Unsplash | Related: Farmers urged to consider their data security Source: NFF | Small Business Cyber Security; Video:Cyber tips for business Source: ASD
Rising international quotations for vegetable oils, dairy products and meat pushed the benchmark index for world food commodity prices up by 1.1% in March, its first increase in seven months, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) reported earlier this month.
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 118.3 points in March, down 7.7% from its corresponding value one year ago.
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index led the increase in March, rising 8% from February and reaching a one-year high.
The FAO Dairy Price Index increased for the sixth consecutive month, up 2.9% from February, led by rising world cheese and butter prices.
The FAO Meat Price Index also increased, rising 1.7% from the previous month, with international prices up for poultry, pig and bovine meats.
By contrast, the FAO Cereal price Index declined by 2.6%, averaging 20% below its March 2023 value. The drop was led by decreasing global wheat export prices, which declined due to ongoing strong export competition – underscored by cancelled purchases by China – among the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United States of America.
Source and Graphic: FAO
Further information
Agribusiness, commercial fishing and aquaculture news from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). If you have any questions or information to share, please email export@dpird.wa.gov.au.
Subscribe to Western Australian Agrifood Export eNews.
Important disclaimer
The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.
Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), 2024.
