Confidence up

Grains industry leaders are confident a sold-out Australian Grains Industry Conference in Shanghai earlier this month demonstrates strong Chinese interest for Australian grain.

The conference followed another sold-out conference in Vietnam.

AGIC Asia returned to China after two successful AGIC conferences in Beijing and Guangzhou last year.

Grain Trade Australia was host organisation and chief executive Pat O’shannessey said the Chinese market was critical for the Australian grains industry.

“This demand for information about Australian grain is very encouraging for our industry and importantly for Australian grain growers,” he said.

“China is an extremely important and significant market for Australian grain, with exports valued at more than $2.9-billion a year, represting about 23 percent of Australia’s grain exports.”

China imports an estimated six to sevenmillion tonnes of Australian barley, wheat, sorghum, canola and pulses annually.

Mr O’shannassy said Australian grains and oilseeds were used in a variety of products in China.

“These include malt barley for beer production; wheat-flour production for various products including noodles, dumplings and steamed buns; sorghum for both feed and alcohol production; canola crushing for the retail vegetable-oil market and as raw materials in various stock feed,” he said. “With the economic growth resulting in a rapidly growing middle class demographic, combined with changing dietary preferences, a large population and Australia’s proximity to China, it is an extremely important market to the future growth and success of the Australian grain industry.”

In addition to the AGIC Asia conferences, Grain Trade Australia and the Australian Grains Industry Market Access Forum also planned round table events, adding further value to the conference series.

The round table events involved high-level discussions and dialogue with government agencies and industry participants looking at further alignment of the commercial, technical and regulatory trade environments for the grain trade between Australia and its trading partners.

“We have had strong participation and support for the round table events, together with key delegates from across the Australian industry,” Mr O’shannassy said.

AGIC Asia – Indonesia is planned for May 2017, to be accompanied by an Australian grain round table discussion.

Mr O’shannassy said AGIC Asia conferences, particularly the one in Shanghai, were important to maintaining and growing the important market for the Australian industry and importantly for Australia’s grain growers.

Grain Trade Australia hosts the AGIC Asia Conference series with Australian Oilseeds Federation and Pulse Australia.