Connecting Western Australian agrifood businesses with export opportunities to South-East Asia is the key focus of an international delegation visit this week.
The McGowan Government, through the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, is this week hosting a delegation of buyers from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to visit export-ready food and beverage businesses across southern Western Australia.
The South-West, Great Southern, Wheatbelt and Perth metropolitan regions will be the focus of the visit, showcasing premium products including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy and seafood.
The South-East Asian region is home to half of WA’s top 10 global markets for agriculture and food products. At $2.3 billion in 2016-17, it represented 27 per cent of WA’s food and agriculture exports.
These countries are key markets for premium food products including milk, chilled beef, prawns, carrots, strawberries, wine, wheat and malt.
The rapidly expanding Asian middle class and rising demand for high-value food products provides a real opportunity for Western Australia to boost trade to the region.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
“South-East Asia is a region with growing demand for food and rich in opportunity for local food and beverage businesses to establish long-term export supply contracts.
“WA’s proximity to the region and reputation for producing premium produce means we are perfectly placed to capture increasing demand for fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood, wine, grains and value-added, premium produce.
“Critically, we can supply counter-season products from the Northern Hemisphere – giving our producers a real competitive edge.
“This visit is a fantastic opportunity for the international buyers to meet with producers and processors, and experience firsthand some of WA’s best food offerings.
“Increasing WA trade to South-East Asia will not only benefit local agrifood businesses but also boost job opportunities and economic growth in the regions.”
