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1 March 2022

Western Australian Agrifood Export eNews

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.auSubscribe to Western Australian Agrifood Export eNews.

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Last chance to register for Partnering by Design online program

Today is the last day to register for an exclusive five-week online program run by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). It is designed to help you employ partnering as a practical development tool to grow your business.

Delivered by Ian Dixon of Dixon Partnering Solutions, a leader in helping businesses to develop strategic business relationships, the online program series, which is exclusive to Western Australian businesses, will include:

  • Using partnering to sidestep price-based competition.
  • Using partnering to gain access to new capabilities, develop scale.
  • Employing a partnering process to build strategic customer relationships.
  • Experiencing selecting amongst business partnering options.
  • Understanding the steps in building and sustaining business relationships.

The online program via Zoom involves a 90-minute session every Tuesday from 10am to 11.30am for five weeks, from 15 March to 12 April 2022.  Pre-reading of two online learning modules per week (approximately three hours per week) is required. 

The program costs $575 per participant (GST included).  Registration, with payment, is required by 5pm TODAY 1 March 2022. Places are limited, so please confirm as soon as possible.  Source:  Ian Dixon, Dixon Partnering Solutions  |  Photo:  Jenny Ueberberg / Unsplash

Closing Friday: Export Development Support EOI

Are you a Western Australian agribusiness considering, or engaged in, international export?  What support is most important to you?

You have until this Friday to complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) which will help the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) ensure export support services continue to focus on the markets and support relevant to WA agribusinesses.

Following the completion of the EOI, DPIRD's team will be in touch with you about the full range of programs and events that may be relevant to you.

The EOI can be completed in under five minutes and closes on Friday 4 March 2022.  More...  Source: DPIRD  |  Photo: Tigers [Mixed vegetable consignments ready for shipping to Singapore.]

Rabobank: Global food market disruption to continue in year ahead

Food markets are set to be “highly dynamic” in the year ahead, as the ongoing effects of the global pandemic continue to be felt across supply chains and in consumer behaviour, Rabobank says in a recently-released report.

In its Australian Agribusiness Outlook for 2022, the specialist global agribusiness bank says the rapid emergence and spread of the Omicron variant has had a profound impact on local and global food markets, resulting in supply chain issues, labour shortages and leading to increased inflationary pressures.

In addition, the report noted that the reinstating of restrictions in many countries has led to food and beverages companies experiencing challenges in keeping product moving through to consumers.

Volatility is expected to continue in 2022, as consumer behaviours may further shift demand. “There are some pandemic winners, including products catering to consumers who work at home and have a preference for home snacking and convenient meal preparation, while on the flipside on-the-go and foodservice products continue to be negatively impacted by reduced consumer mobility,” the report noted.  More... Source:  Rabobank  | Photo:  DPIRD

Austrade: Australian peaches and nectarines on the menu for Vietnam’s affluent consumers

Australian peach and nectarine exporters now have market access to Vietnam, Austrade reports in its latest country insight. This comes after Australia and Vietnam finalised a new protocol following five years of negotiations.

Access to the Vietnam market is a major boost to exporters’ market diversification efforts. The new protocol gives Australia a first-mover advantage over competitors to cement market share.

Austrade says this is also timely. Under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which came into force on 1 January 2022, Australian exporters pay no tariffs on peach and nectarine exports to Vietnam.

Australian peach and nectarine exports were valued at $64 million in 2021. Major export markets in 2021 included China ($37.3 million or 58% of exports); Singapore ($5.1 million); Hong Kong ($3.6 million); United Arab Emirates ($3.3 million); amd Malaysia ($3 million).  More...  Source:  Austrade  |  Photo:  DPIRD

WA-India commercial fisheries collaboration agreement signed

Western Australia and India signed an agreement for collaboration in the commercial fishing sector, during a virtual symposium held last week.

A landmark Memorandum of Understanding between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA (CCIWA) and the Seafood Exporters Association of India paves the way for government and industry on both sides of the Indian Ocean to explore commercial and research collaborations, further underpinning the growing convergence of shared values in the increasingly important WA and India relationship.

“The Indian Ocean doesn’t separate India and WA," said Michael Carter, Head of International Trade and Investment at CCIWA.  "The Indian Ocean binds us in so many ways: in trade and investment, regional security, the Quad, defence collaboration and commercial fishing. Both WA's and India’s commercial fisheries and aquaculture can collaborate and partner to address regional food security and play a pivotal role in greening the blue economies of the Indian Ocean rim."

Mr Carter said last week's symposium was a terrific WA-Indian exchange of both bilateral government and industry engagement to explore collaborative areas in equipment and technologies, skills and training, infrastructure, commercial joint ventures, value added processing and investment attraction in commercial fishing and aquaculture.

This Sustainable Commercial Fisheries Collaboration in India for Food Security Project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-India Council of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  Source and Graphic:  CCIWA

Report shows benefits of simplifying trade systems

Three of Australia’s leading standards and conformance bodies have released a new report highlighting measures that could increase trust in traded products and address supply chain vulnerabilities.

The report, Digitalisation of Conformance and Accreditation Processes, advocates simplifying the way product conformance information (including testing and certification) is managed by government and industry.

The report proposes ways to link supply chains and product conformance information, which could help address supply chain vulnerabilities and build resilience.  Improvements to trade systems will benefit Australian businesses and consumers through enhanced efficiency and traceability of traded goods.

The report has been issued by the National Association of Testing Authorities, the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand, and GS1 Australia.  More...  Source:  NATA / Australian Assistant Minister for Industry Development  |  Image:  NATA

WTO: Goods barometer signals possible turning point for trade as supply pressures ease

Supply disruptions have dampened the strength of the rebound in global merchandise trade, but this could be starting to change as supply chain pressures show some signs of easing, the latest World Trade Organisation (WTO) Goods Trade Barometer shows.

The current reading of 98.7 is below the barometer's baseline value of 100 and down slightly from last November's reading of 99.5, indicating a loss of momentum in trade at the start of 2022 following last year's strong rebound in trade volumes. However, the index also shows signs of bottoming out, suggesting that merchandise trade may turn up soon, even if it remains below trend in the near term.

In addition to ongoing supply chain disruptions, the barometer's weakness is partly explained by the introduction of health restrictions to combat the Omicron wave of COVID-19, which some countries are now scrapping since the new variant's health impact has turned out to be relatively mild.  Relaxing these measures could boost trade in the coming months, though future variants of COVID-19 continue to present risks to economic activity and trade.  More... Source:  WTO  |  Photo:  iStock