Posts Categorized: News

Thailand will soon take more Australian fruit

Australian fruit exporters will soon enjoy improved access to the Thailand market after revised import protocols were finalized. Assistant Agriculture Minister Senator Anne Ruston, said the new conditions would make Thailand even more attractive for Australian exporters. “Fruit exports often require a range of treatments and conditions to meet importing country requirements—an important pre-requisite to… Read more »

Brisbane irradiation facility ready for Australia’s first big season of mango deliveries to USA, as horticulture searches for new export options

Australia’s only irradiation facility with approval for exports to the United States is ready for its first big season of mango deliveries. Irradiation is a technique used to sterilise fruit fly and other insects before products are exported. Brisbane company Steritech earned the American approval in January, becoming one of just eight accredited facilities around… Read more »

Voice of Horticulture lobby commits to improving grower representation in Horticulture Innovation Australia

Lobby group Voice of Horticulture says growers should have more of a say in the running of the industry’s research and marketing body Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA). It comes as the first AGM for HIA got underway in Sydney, 12 months after the Government restructured it to be entirely grower owned. Horticulture Innovation Australia manages… Read more »

Low prices, high costs are causing a slump in grower confidence

A leading Tasmanian vegetable grower has said confidence in the industry may be much worse than the latest AUSVEG survey has shown. Results from AUSVEG’S latest survey showed grower confidence in the vegetable industry had declined by 3.5 per cent during July to September, when compared to the previous quarter. “Australian vegetable growers are becoming more uncertain about… Read more »

Horticulture exports to Vietnam reopened

AUSTRALIAN citrus and grape exports to Vietnam are back on the table, following a seven-month suspension. The Vietnamese government stopped issuing import permits for fresh Australian fruit from January 1 this year and sought advice regarding Australia’s management of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly). According to the Australian Horticultural Exporters Association (AHEA), the Australian horticulture industry… Read more »

JEAPA opens opportunities for Australian vegetable exporters

Australian vegetable exporters to Japan are reaping early gains since the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA) entered into force on 15 January 2015. JAEPA eliminates or reduces barriers to trade in goods between Japan and Australia, including tariff eliminations or reductions that have been a key impediment until now. Recognised as the most liberalising trade… Read more »

Booming Indonesian demand for food an opportunity and a challenge for Australian exporters

The national commodity forecaster is tipping Indonesia’s agrifood imports to increase 20-fold by 2050, to be worth US$150 billion. That represents a significant opportunity for Australian exporters, who already send large amounts of wheat, live cattle, sugar and other products to Indonesia each year. But booming demand for high-protein, high-quality food for an increasingly urbanised… Read more »

Fiji’s agriculture industry to get boost

Fiji’s agriculture sector will receive about US$35 million in 2016 as part of the country’s budget announced by the finance minister today. That is an increase from US$30 million in the 2015 budget. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says agriculture is the backbone of Fiji’s economy, accounting for about 9.3 percent of GDP and it’s at the core… Read more »

China’s demand for EU fresh produce grows

China’s growing demand for fresh food imported from Europe will require an investment in cold supply chains throughout the main route. There is an expected 17% increase in demand for imported meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables to China in 2015-2025. The Yu’Xin’Ou railway which connects Chongqing to Rotterdam by rail is a new route for… Read more »

Agreement to underpin Australia’s future prosperity

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is the most ambitious trade agreement China has concluded with any developed country, and promises a big boost for jobs and prosperity in Australia, writes Senator Richard Colbeck. The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) is an historic step forward in Australia’s economic relationship with China and unlocks significant opportunities with… Read more »

Australia ranks number one with the most organically farmed land in the world

As the world population continues to grow, Australia could capitalise on organic export markets, says Bond University sustainability professor Tor Hundloe. He has been investigating Australia’s role in feeding the world, with the global population predicted to hit 9.7 billion in 2050. Through his most recent research he discovered Australia had the most organically farmed… Read more »

AU gov postpones biosecurity, export restructure

It is a time of uncertainty for Australian fruit and vegetable growers as the wait to find out how much they will be charged for export certification and biosecurity service has been moved by the federal government from November 1 to December 1 this year. However, the final cost-recovery implementation statements for biosecurity and export… Read more »

Australian export plan delayed

New fee system for biosecurity and certification will now be implemented in December Small-scale Australian horticultural producers and exporters could feel the pinch from a proposed restructure of the country’s export certification and biosecurity costs, according to David Minnis, chairman of the Australian Horticulture Exporters Association. The Australian Government has moved the start date for the… Read more »

India imports 3,000 tonnes of lentils to meet shortfall

New Delhi: The Indian Government has announced importing another 3,000 tonnes of food-grain due to acute shortage of pluses that has increased prices around 15% in the country. A high-level meeting chaired by federal government Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha and secretaries of consumer affairs, agriculture and commerce ministries took the decision to import additional… Read more »

An apple a day would do wonders for Aus industry

Australian apple growers are congratulating Federal Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce on his decision to endorse International Eat an Apple a Day. “If the majority of Australians were to eat an Australian grown apple on ‘international eat an apple day’ then our industry would likely seen an instant impact from that,” said Baden Ribbon, Sales… Read more »