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April 13, 2017

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Australia eyes huge potential in Chinese food, beverage market

FOR the first time, four big industrial bodies joined hands to jointly market Australian premium food and beverage at The Waterhouse Hotel during a food symposium titled “Taste Australia.”

The event was presented jointly by Dairy Australia, Horticulture Innovation Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia, Wine Australia and supported by the Australian government. It introduced professionals and tastemakers to the city’s food industry and the vast culinary possibilities of Australian food and drink and the unique benefits they come with.

Top-ranked Australian chef Tim Hollands demonstrated how to use quality Australian produce to create culinary delights informatively, fashionably and with flavorsome appeal.

“Australia is famous for clean and fertile growing condition that can grow fruits and vegetables all year round,” Dan Tebbutt, general national manager of Austrade China, said. “We also have a great diversity of wine regions. In addition to the famous big flavors of Shiraz from Australia we also have cool climates in Victoria and Tasmania producing fantastic Pinot Noir, Riesling, and bubbly wine these days.”

“The single most important factor in the food and beverage section was the implementation of China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) from December 2015. After the agreement entered into force, many of the Australian food and beverage products’ tariffs have already been reduced by 60 percent. Australia has since become an even more appealing source market for China,” Tebbutt added.

China is Australia’s number one dairy market by volume with 136,441 tons of dairy product worth A$424 million (US$318 million) exported to China in 2014/15. This is 18 percent of the total Australian dairy exports by volume for the calendar year. The ChAFTA will give Australian origin dairy products an advantage over other supplier countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement with China. The deal is the most ambitious FTA that China has undertaken in relation to providing dairy market access.

“For beef, we can offer high-quality, fresh products that we can supply chilled to the market and not just frozen. The main outcome of Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Australia was some agreements enabling better access to the Chinese market for Australian meat producers and exporters, including high-quality Australian beef and offering better choice for Chinese consumers,” Tebbutt said.

Australia is China’s largest supplier of imported beef, the second-largest supplier of wine and lamb, and top 10 suppliers of dairy and fruit.

Australia has a rich variety of foods and drinks, with a multi-cultural influence.

“We have a real focus on the quality produce and maintain the flavors of the produce. We have invented the fusion cuisine that brings together the Western and Eastern tastes. The willingness to experiment and discover new taste experiences transformed Australian cooking. The trends never stop evolving. We want our food to bring people together,” he added.




 

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