No images? Click here 3 December 2024 Western Australian agrifood export eNewsCall for exporters: EMDG applications still openAustrade advises that the Round 4 of Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) online application portal remains open for Tiers 1, 3 and representative bodies. Tier 2 is closed now for applications as funding has been fully allocated. The EMDG program provides grants to Australian small and medium enterprises and their representative bodies to:
EMDG provides grants for the following:
The EMDG online portal will remain open until all funds are allocated. Please note that the portal will be offline for maintenance on 5 December from 7am to 8am AEDT. The service will be unavailable during this time. For further program information, please refer to the Austrade website. Source and image: Austrade Help us to help you grow your reach! The City of Busselton (CoB) and the South West Aviation Services are exploring the potential for air freight operations at the Busselton Margaret River Airport on existing routes between Busselton airport to Melbourne and Sydney, Australia and are keen to hear if these proposed operations would support your business. Businesses with non-perishable and perishable items are invited to provide their feedback with no restrictions on standard perishable items which can be freighted, other than live animals. To help the CoB understand business needs in this area, complete the survey through this link. Survey closes Friday 20 December 2024. Source and Image: City of Busselton The Australian Parliament’s Agriculture Committee has made 13 recommendations following an inquiry into the role of Australian agriculture in Southeast Asian markets. The inquiry examined ways to deepen engagement with Southeast Asia in food and agriculture with reference to Invested: Australia’s Southeast Economic Strategy to 2040 (the Moore report). Committee Chair, Meryl Swanson, said: ‘The Moore report emphasised the significance of Australia’s relationship with Southeast Asia at an economic level, but urged us to look beyond trade to a broader and more closely integrated relationship with the region.’ ‘Australia has an important role to play in the food security of Southeast Asia through food exports and by building agriculture and food production capability in the region. Australian technology and production systems also have much to offer the region. Long-term investment in regional relationships will be vital to progressing both trade and regional collaboration,’ Ms Swanson said. The Committee further supports the establishment of the Australian Agricultural Partnership and the extension of the PALM scheme to Southeast Asia. Over the course of the inquiry, the Committee held seven public hearings and received 28 written submissions from industry, government and other interested stakeholders. The Committee’s full report can be found on the inquiry webpage. Source: aph.gov | Image: Food Bank The Great Southern is set to benefit from two new agribusiness expansion projects, made possible by WA Government funding. Kojonup Feeds and Denmark's Forest Hill Wines have been awarded funding in the latest round of the Value Add Investment Grants program, enabling the businesses to take their operations to the next level and creating 10 new regional jobs in the process. Kojonup Feeds has received a $750,000 grant to support a $2.17 million upgrade and expansion of its stockfeed mill. Forest Hill Wines has received a $580,000 grant to support a $1.32 million upgrade of the winery's production facilities, including the installation of a state-of-the-art in-house bottling line. The grants for Kojonup Feeds and Forest Hill Wines build on the WA Government's recent $1 million investment in Mt Barker Chicken through the Value Add Investment Grants. This funding will support the expansion of operations at Mt Barker Chicken's Kendenup facility, creating 20 new jobs across the Great Southern site and its Rockingham value-add location. Since 2018, more than $152 million in private sector co-investment has been leveraged by $23.8 million-worth of Value Add Investment Grants, creating 1200 jobs across the State. Source: WA gov | Image: ShutterStock A new report recently published by the WTO Secretariat discusses the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on world trade. The report examines key trade-related policy considerations raised by this technology and discusses the critical role of the WTO in facilitating AI-related trade, ensuring trustworthy AI, and promoting global regulatory convergence. The report was launched at an event at the WTO attended by representatives from government, academia and the private sector. The report, entitled “Trading with Intelligence: How AI Shapes and is Shaped by International Trade”, argues that AI could help to overcome trade costs associated with trade logistics, supply chain management and regulatory compliance. For instance, AI can assist in automating and streamlining customs clearance processes and border controls, navigating complex trade regulations and compliance requirements, and predicting risks. By lowering trade costs, AI can help level the playing field for developing economies and small businesses, helping them to overcome trade barriers, enter global markets and participate in international trade, the report says. The full report can be accessed here. Source and image: WTO Further informationAgribusiness, 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 Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), 2024. |