TRADE diversification is to be the focus of Australian agricultural sector figures when their delegation arrives in Indonesia this week.
The NFF’s Su McCluskey said Indonesia was a natural focus for her first international engagement as the Australian Agriculture Trade Diversification Representative.
“Indonesia is one of Australia’s most important agricultural partners, with strong relationships and complementary agricultural sectors creating significant opportunities for both countries,” Ms McCluskey said.
“Trade diversification is about investing in these relationships, understanding what our trading partners need and identifying where Australian agriculture can provide value over the long term as a safe, reliable and secure supplier of food and fibre products."
Ms McCluskey is to be joined by representatives from the Australian grains and livestock export sectors, including NFF members GrainGrowers and Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, as well as representatives from Meat and Livestock Australia.
They are to attend meetings and site visits across grains and animal feed, livestock, dairy and horticulture facilities, as well as engage with figures from Indonesian government and industry.
“Indonesia is a market where we already have strong agricultural ties, but there is considerable potential to deepen those relationships and identify new opportunities,” Ms McCluskey said.
Ms McCluskey is working as Australian Agriculture Trade Diversification Representative, a role with the NFF bankrolled via the federal government’s Accessing New Markets Initiative, delivered by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton said their live export partnership with Indonesia was built upon decades of “strong relationships, mutual trust and shared interests, delivering benefits well beyond the trade in cattle”.
“Australian livestock contribute to Indonesia’s growing food production and beef supply chains, while the partnership supports jobs, investment and economic activity in communities across both countries,” Mr Harvey-Sutton said.
“Visits such as this provide an important opportunity to strengthen understanding of the trade on the ground, see the contribution Australian cattle are making to Indonesia’s food and agricultural sector, and reinforce the strong people-to-people and business relationships that underpin this important partnership.”
GrainGrowers director Fiona Marshall said Indonesia was one of Australia's largest grain export markets and this visit was “an opportunity to strengthen the relationships between Australian growers, exporters and Indonesian customers”.
“Australian grain has a reputation for being reliable and high quality, and this exchange will help us better understand how our grain can continue to support Indonesian food security and long-term economic growth,” Ms Marshall said.