CANBERRA: Australian vegetable growers have been given a practical overview of the export process, including the tricks of the trade to take advantage of booming export markets, at the Australian Vegetables Export Seminar 2017, held on Monday 15 May at Adelaide Convention Centre. The seminar, organised by AUSVEG and funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia, ran in conjunction with Hort Connections 2017, and featured a range of speakers providing invaluable insights into the procedures and processes required when exporting vegetables.
Headlining the list of speakers for the event was agribusiness expert Dr David McKinna, who discussed the recently published Vegetable Industry Export Strategy, and how his experiences during his 30 years within the vegetable industry have allowed him to develop a solid understanding of the export market. Dr McKinna was joined by a number of other expert speakers, who explored different aspects of vegetable exporting, including Food Innovation Centre’s Angeline Achariya, Swisse Wellness’ Simon Woolmer and Chris Schreurs of Schreurs & Sons, who headed a grower panel allowing successful vegetable exporters to share their experiences with all attendees. “There is enormous potential for Australian vegetable growers to break into new and existing export markets and expand their production for consumers in key export markets in Asia and the Middle East. We want to ensure that all vegetable growers looking to explore export markets have the tools at hand to successfully do so,” said AUSVEG National Manager – Export Development. “Many growers have indicated that either breaking into export markets or increasing their volume of exported produce is a way to grow their business, so being able to provide them with information and support to make this happen is hugely important for the industry.”
The 2017 Exporting Vegetables Seminar was the latest in a series of events designed to build the exporting knowledge and capacity of the Australian vegetable industry. “The wide variety of speakers at the seminar gave attendees the chance to hear perspectives from all facets of the industry, from sourcing reliable buyers to the regulatory requirements to export. This meant growers were able to gain a far deeper understanding the practical aspects of exporting vegetables,” said Mr Coote. “There is so much potential within the Australian market to increase our vegetable exports, and being able to develop strong international export markets is critical to the long term viability and success of the Australian vegetable industry. This seminar is one way to better inform the industry on the benefits that exports can bring to their businesses.
