AUSVEG has welcomed the announcement from the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Hon. Barnaby Joyce MP, of an allocation of funds to increase the exporting skills of Australian vegetable growers under the Federal Government’s Package Assisting Small Exporters program (PASE). The two year grant, worth over $95,000, will allow AUSVEG to develop a… Read more »
China will tonight issue its strongest statement yet about the political impasse blocking Australia’s ratification of a free-trade agreement between the two nations, with ambassador Ma Zhaoxu warning the deal on offer “should not be allowed to slip through our fingers”. Mr Ma will tell a meeting of business and political leaders in Melbourne that… Read more »
Onion prices have softened by 15 per cent this month following raids on hoarders in Nashik, the national hub for production and trade. To discourage exports, the commerce ministry raised the minimum export price of onion to $700 a tonne on August 28, over $300 higher than the prevailing price in importing countries. The government… Read more »
South Korea shipped 5 tons of “geobong” — a species of grapes — to China, marking its first-ever export of fresh fruit to the country, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Tuesday. Agriculture Minister Lee Dong-phil and representatives of 13 local vineyards in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, saw the premium quality… Read more »
A DELEGATION from China with interests in buying WA grain toured the State’s supply chain last week in a bid to increase understanding of our farming systems. The group hosted by Austrade included representatives from some of China’s most important agribusiness companies with interests in buying Australian products. Australian Export Grains Innovation Center co-ordinated the… Read more »
In the past 18 months, Australia has signed major free trade agreements (FTAs) with Japan, South Korea and China. These FTAs are set to significantly benefit the Australian agriculture sector and the nation’s premium producers will be among the biggest winners. Primary producers, such as beef cattle farmers, dairy cattle farmers and grape growers, will… Read more »
THE gross value of Australia’s farm production is forecast to increase by 8 per cent to about $57.1 billion in the coming year. The boom was thanks to increases in livestock value, as well as strong crop production, following favourable seasonal conditions and the lowering of the Australian dollar, according to Australian Bureau of Agricultural… Read more »
Tasmania’s peak farming body says it wants an explanation from the State Government about reports of Biosecurity Tasmania’s $1.9 million budget deficit. An internal Biosecurity Tasmania document leaked to ABC Rural reveals the budget shortfall and serious concerns about the division’s ability to service agricultural production growth. Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association CEO, Peter Skillern,… Read more »
The Dubai Municipality has signed a deal with Planetfair to organise the 7th edition of the International Trade Fair for vegetables and fruits in the Middle East, which will be held between 5 and 7 October at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The exhibition will serve to shed light on the latest market trends in… Read more »
The long courtship of the U.S. rice industry and China is finally set to bear fruit, according to a report from the U.S. Rice Producers Association (USRPA). The USDA and several agencies under its umbrella have yet to comment on the report. After years of back-and-forth negotiations – largely based on phytosanitary protocols – Chinese… Read more »
Expect another “monstrous” pulse export program during the first half of 2015-16, say industry analysts. “It’s going to be huge,” said Chuck Penner, analyst with LeftField Commodity Research. Exports are on pace with last year’s record-setting program and he doesn’t see any let up for pea or lentil demand in the near future. “That has… Read more »
Australian farmers’ contribution to the nation’s wealth through export earnings is increasing at a time when other commodities are on the wane, demonstrating just how vital farming is to the future of the nation Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce says the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show a 7 per cent increase in the… Read more »
SHANGHAI: PRIME Minister Tony Abbott may believe coal is “good for humanity”, but China is taking the opposite view. Official figures released on Tuesday showed the volume of coal imports fell 31.3 per cent over the first eight months of the year, as China’s overall trade for August declined more than expected. China’s decline in… Read more »
A $70 million agricultural park will be built in Adelaide to supply Chinese shops with food and wine after an agreement between South Australian and Chinese governments. The industrial food park in Adelaide’s north will produce hundreds of containers of food and wine for China’s Shandong province, SA exporter Tony Royal says. “China’s expanding middle… Read more »
Earlier this month Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott sounded a warning on the impact to Australia’s economy if the recently signed China-Australia Free Trade Agreement were to fail. In a statement, Abbott said: “If Bill Shorten and the Labor Party try to reject the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement they will be sabotaging our economic future… Read more »
In the past decade from 2001-2011, the agriculture sector had an average contribution equivalent to 10.6 per cent of Fiji’s total GDP. This, according to the Fiji 2020 Agriculture Sector Policy Agenda report, meant the sector had actively employed about two-thirds of the labor force. In the 1990s, the contribution of agriculture was about 16… Read more »
Australia’s free trade deals with Japan and Korea have been in force for half a year, but agricultural exports are already up. Beef, grapes, wine and mangoes have shown the biggest rises in the first six months of 2015. The reports, from industry and government sources, come as Labor is under pressure to clarify its… Read more »
Tasmanian food and beverage producers are forging new trading relationships with China. Business talks are underway, despite Australia’s domestic political impasse on the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA). A number of the island’s agribusiness leaders are in China, and Tasmania’s Premier and State Growth Ministers will lead a trade and investment mission in China… Read more »
