AU: Proximity not enough
Stock & Land: Australia cannot rely on its proximity to Asia to ensure demand for its food continues to grow with the region’s burgeoning population.
At the two-day [Agribusiness Outlook Australia 2015] conference, researchers, industry leaders and business people told about 60 delegates that Australia had to leverage research and development (R&D) to increase productivity throughout the supply chain; ensure strict quality assurance programs underpinned our “clean and green” reputation; and have more concerted and combined overseas marketing campaigns for our commodities.
South Australia’s Laucke Flour Mills managing director Mark Laucke called for more government regulation of quality assurance and food safety certification, saying that one bad egg could destroy market access for whole supply chains, but fellow businessmen including Jan Vydra, Australian Fresh Leaf Herbs managing director and Cameron Hall, Elders general manager of live exports, disagreed saying the systems were already sufficiently robust.