Seafood Industry Australia awarded grant to scale up exports
An $888,000 grant from the Australian Government has been awarded to Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) to develop and expand markets for Australian seafood exports.
Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud and Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonno Duniam said the grant would develop and deliver the industry’s Export Market Strategic Plan.
“This plan will focus on expanding into new markets, and markets with high growth potential,” Minister Littleproud said.
“A key part of the plan is investigating and analysing new potential markets, such as North Asia, South Asia, the Pacific, Europe and the Americas with rock lobster and abalone a key focus.
“SIA will engage two Trade Export Managers to build capacity for seafood exporters across Australia.
“The grant will also go towards promoting the Great Australian Seafood brand under brand Australia. By working in partnership with Austrade, SIA will assist in the design a promotion schedule for Australian seafood in export markets.”
Assistant Minister Duniam said there was huge growth potential internationally for Australian seafood.
“By building up the Great Australian Seafood brand, we can tell the rest of the world what we already know – that Australian seafood is the best in the world.
“There are swathes of consumers out there who want to enjoy seafood that is sustainably caught, clean and green, and this is an opportunity to connect with them.”
Seafood Industry Australia CEO Veronica Papacosta said a key piece of the program would be the creation of a one-stop-shop for seafood exporters.
“There is a plethora of information, resources and databases out there for seafood exporters, however it can be difficult for producers to keep track of them all and know how to find them,” Ms Papacosta said.
“We are planning to create a digital platform that will curate all the resources in one place. This will allow our producers to focus their time on delivering the world’s greatest seafood to all corners of the globe.
“Importantly, this funding will support whole of industry, regardless of sector or location. It will allow us to immediately put boots on the ground to quickly deliver much needed support to the sectors who need it most.
“We’re grateful for the continued support of the government, and look forward to developing new market opportunities to promote our Great Australian Seafood internationally under the umbrella of brand Australia.”
Fast Facts
ATMAC grants have been awarded under the Australian Government’s AgriBusiness Expansion Initiative (ABEI).
The Australian government has invested $72.7 million through ABEI to help Australia’s agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries diversify and expand their export markets.
The value of Australian seafood production is forecast to be $2.94 billion in 2020-2021 and $3.01 billion in 2021-2022.
The value of Australian seafood exports is forecast to be $1.34 billion in 2020- 2021.
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For more information or to organise an interview with SIA CEO Veronica Papacosta please contact SIA Communications and Public Affairs Manager Jessica McInernery on [email protected] or 0420 695 431.
