A Queensland trade mission to Hong Kong and Chongqing has exposed Brisbane businesses to significant opportunities.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner, who is leading the delegation, said businesses from the region were grabbing those opportunities with both hands at HOFEX, a major international trade event.
“We’ve got exhibitors here from right across Queensland, from out as far north as Townsville and south to Goondiwindi,” Mr Furner said.
“What people are asking for in Hong Kong is what we have on offer – clean, green safe produce.
“Considering Hong Kong imports 95% of its food Queensland is in prime position only eight or nine hours flight away.
“We are in the box seat making sure we are the winners here providing that food into Hong Kong.”
David Kitchen from Brisbane’s Ballistic Beer said his business had grown to employ 25 full time staff over the last two and a half years and hoped to grow that to 60 over the next six months.
“What I want to do (on the trade mission) is find the people that we can work with to solve the logistics problems particularly that we need to get beer into the country,” Mr Kitchen said.
“Certainly if you care for your beer the way we care for our beer we want it to be coming over in prime condition.”
Dylan Daniel-Marsh from home delivery and retail meal company YouFoodz, also Brisbane based, said the trade mission and participation in the HOFEX trade event was about making connections in Hong Kong but also the wider region.
“We currently export to Singapore and the Middle East and we have distribution deals over in Korea, so Hong Kong for us we see as an emerging market for our product,” Mr Daniel-Marsh said.
Mr Furner said he expected the trade mission would help the 18 participating businesses to grow exports, and that meant more jobs in a stronger Queensland economy.
“The Palaszczuk Government has a proud record of creating more than 192,000 jobs and we are nowhere near done yet.
“That’s what Labor governments do. We create jobs. We back workers and back businesses to innovate and grow, and we forge the relationships in global markets to increase the opportunities for success.”
