WA agriculture and foods exports hit record A$6 billion
In a period where the world economy faltered, new figures show that Western Australia exported a record A$6 billion worth of food and agricultural commodities in the last financial year.
The value of agrifood exports grew 28 per cent in 2008/09 which is a testament to the strength of Western Australia’s industries and their willingness to chase new markets.
Agrifood exports to Europe were particularly impressive with a 76 per cent increase in 2008/09.
Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman said: “Up to 90 per cent of what we produce annually is exported and these figures show that the world is keen to buy more and more of the food and crops that we produce.
“Western Australia has less than 10 per cent of Australia’s farms, but we produce nearly 20 per cent of Australia’s total agriculture and food exports.”
Kailis Organic olive oil is exported from WA to the UK and can be purchased from Harvey Nichols
To support business looking to step into exporting or expanding their existing export markets, the Department of Agriculture and Food is looking at different ways to assist industry and remove trade barriers.
The Minister said a key initiative included the establishment of an export hotline to answer queries and help work through the issues surrounding exporting to international markets.
“We now also have more people on the ground in our growing markets with the appointments of additional business development managers in our Western Australian Trade Offices in Indonesia and Dubai. Their role in these strategic markets is to improve market access, assist WA companies and promote the State’s agribusiness sector,” he said.
“These are in addition to the agribusiness specialists already promoting Western Australian exports in Tokyo, London and Shanghai.”