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Business View Australia - September 2015 11
its agricultural products are of
impeccable standards. Additionally,
Australia is close to the Asian market
where the burgeoning middle-class
population has created a rapidly
increasing demand for the country’s
food processing industry.
As a result, the food component of
manufacturing merchandise exports
stood at $19.85 billion in 2013-14.
Although imports under this category
were a little over $10 billion, the sector
contributed amassive net export figure
in excess of $9 billion.
The country’s agricultural and food
processing sector is at the forefront
of technological innovation with
many organisations having their own
research and development wings.
In addition to this there are a number
of associations and government-
backed bodies providing facilities for
increasing productivity and improving
packaging and production processes
in various food based industries.
This has contributed to an average
agricultural productivity gain of 2%
over the last 50 years.
Another important factor contributing
to the growth in Australia’s food and
beverage industry is the presence of
a number of education and training
facilities which specialise in this
sector.
As a result, the country has large
numbers of qualified and competent
personnel who have the requisite
knowledge essential for the success
of this industry. Due to these reasons
many international food companies
have chosen to establish a large
presence in Australia so that they can
capitalise on these strengths. The list
of these companies include Nestle,
Unilever, Parmalat and Hakubaku.
Australia’s food and beverage
processing industry is critical to
the country’s economy because of
its relative size and the significant
number of jobs it generates. Its
well-established R & D institutions
including Food Science Australia, Dairy
Cooperative Research Centre and the
Australian Wine Research Institute,
to name a few, play an important role
in the country’s pre-eminence in this
field. This sector is well-positioned to
continue being a major contributor
to exports and to further enhance its
position in the domestic market in the
coming years.
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