Vol. 17 No. 4
FREE PUBLICATION
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Export potential to grow By DEAN LAWSON
V
ictorian Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh believes the Wimmera-Mallee is well poised to take advantage of international demand for agricultural productquality assurance.
Mr Walsh said during a visit to Horsham that the region’s ability to ship grain in intermodal containers met a desire of many Asian buyers to be able to trace a product back to its source. He added that an ability to readily transport containers meant buyers could also extend the reach of the commodity, which considering the population and size of Asia, represented an enormous opportunity for regional growers. “The International Food and Beverage Trade Week in March, which brought many Asian buyers to Melbourne, clearly revealed that many customers wanted to know where their grain was coming from,” he said. “They wanted guarantees involving quality control and consistency and this of course opens
opportunities for containerised grain sales. “Depending on what country that is buying the grain, freight systems are important. Some countries don’t have the inland freight systems that can handle bulk grain but if it can be delivered in containers it can open all sorts of possibilities.” The Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal at Dooen near Horsham, completed in 2012, is designed as a central location in Victoria’s grain belt for a container-based road and rail transport system to ports and processing plants.
the government’s Food to Asia Action Plan, designed to work alongside a Growing Food and Fibre Program and International Engagement Strategy. “For the 2012-13 financial year grain was the single biggest export commodity out of Victoria, just ahead of dairy, and nearly a third of Australia’s food and fibre exports came out of Victoria,” he said. Mr Walsh’s comments backed up statements from earlier this year that the Food to Asia Action Plan would put more ‘clean, green’ Victorian produce into high-value Asian export markets, leading to benefits for food-related businesses. “Victoria is highly regarded as a grower and supplier of premium, safe food for more than 100 markets worldwide but there is significant opportunity to grow our efforts,” he said. “Our strong farming and food manufacturing reputations are enviable trading advantages as we position Victoria to become a leader in exports of high-quality food products to Asia.”
Specialty
Mr Walsh said the container export system also provided opportunities to sell speciality grain products to suit the needs of specific buyers. “The opportunity is there to develop regional products to particular specifications such as grain for making noodles, which can then be shipped in a container with product guarantees,” he said. Mr Walsh emphasised a need for Victoria to pursue a growing Asian economy, outlined in
IN THIS ISSUE
HIGH STANDARDS: Wimmera Uniting Care has moved into the new Wimmera Community Service Centre, located next to its existing Baillie Street offices. The new building features an impressive entrance area, with a spacious waiting area and sensory gallery for clients, plus a host of other features to suit the services offered by the agency. Staff Hayley McQueen, Glenn Hynes, Louise Netherway, Brooke MacInnes and Josh Koenig are pictured in front of a vertical garden wall in the entrance. For full story, see page 5. Picture: LAUREN HENRY
• Mosque to open • Wind farm worries • Apsley hotel re-opens
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