Trade

Townsville is a step closer to a huge industry and jobs boost from a proposed advanced manufacturing facility at the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct that would refine ore to produce critical materials for use in new-technology batteries. Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said the proposed Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH) had been declared a prescribed project and would support North Queensland’s economic recovery.

Widespread global disruption to supply is set to see Australian farmers again move to lock in fertiliser and other inputs early for the season ahead, Rabobank says in a recently-released report. This is despite global fertiliser prices at near-decade highs and expected to remain elevated in the short to medium term.

Fund manager Gunn Agri Partners has picked up an avocado orchard in northern NSW, looking ahead to higher retail prices for the popular fruit after this year’s massive harvest. The group has paid $11 million for the orchard despite avocado prices plunge from as much as $4 to just $1 each this year as strong seasonal conditions in Western Australia particularly created a bumper crop ... Gunn Agri bought the asset for a European institution with a mandate to invest in permanent Australian crops assets.

Strong month-on-month price increases for most commodities saw Australian agribusiness industry conditions rise to record levels, according to Rabobank, and key drivers are expected to hold out to the December quarter. The latest Rabobank Rural Commodity Price Index rose by another 3.26% in August to its highest-ever reading.

Australian farmers and businesses will get more opportunities to reach new markets and create more jobs through global trade as Peru becomes the eighth economy to bring the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) into force. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan today welcomed Peru joining Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam as a Party to the CPTPP.

The domestic softwood timber industry in NSW has received a significant boost with the NSW Government directing Forestry Corporation to divert selected softwood log exports impacted by the China trade embargo, to domestic markets. Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Forestry John Barilaro said this will see at least an additional 270,000 tonnes of timber enter the domestic supply chain over the next three years.

Minister for Resources and Member for Townsville Scott Stewart said the Port of Townsville was a key piece of infrastructure when it comes to developing hydrogen exports. “Sun Metals is one of Townsville’s most innovative businesses and it’s exciting to have their sister company, Ark Energy, plan to export renewable hydrogen to South Korea from Queensland’s publicly-owned port,” Mr Stewart said.

The Greens have introduced a bill to parliament that would ban the export of greyhounds from Australia for commercial purposes including breeding and racing.

In an increasingly competitive world, Australia has some innate advantages in delivering high quality red meat protein to global markets: it is in the right neighbourhood to access growing demand in the Asia Pacific and world-leading shelf-life performance underpins an expanding chilled trade ... However, global shipping and air-freight have been in turmoil over the last year.

Restrictions on beef exports out of Argentina – the world’s fifth largest exporter of beef – could have a significant impact on the global market, according to Rabobank’s latest global Beef Quarterly report.

Another month of strengthening commodity prices has propelled the NAB Rural Commodities Index to its highest level in its 11-year history, to sit 12.6% above August 2020 levels.

Georgie Aley, Agribusiness Australia. As 2021 rolls into Spring, it looks like another bumper crop for grains, pulses and horticulture. More broadly, we continue to see new challenges for the agribusiness sector, which serve to highlight the fact that in COVID times, you never know what is next.

Covid-19 has focused our attention on a serious underlying fragility that goes well beyond health. This fragility stems from the fact that our health, energy, finance, and food systems are all connected. There are clear lessons to be learned for Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector about how supply chains that cross multiple borders are vulnerable to a host of intersecting economic, social and environmental risks associated with Australia’s participation in global systems, markets and supply chains.

Excellent seasonal conditions and strong prices are fuelling a positive outlook for Australia’s cotton sector, with expectations next year’s crop could be one of the largest on record, according to agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank.

The hunt is on to find the hydrogen skills and businesses to join the renewable fuel supply chain that will create jobs in Toowoomba and the Western Downs.Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni today announced a partnership between publicly-owned power generator CS Energy and Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise to increase local participation in the hydrogen industry.

Softs stole the show in July, as frost hit the heart of the Brazilian arabica coffee belt and also impacted sugar. The worst frost in 27 years led to ICE Arabica jumping by 27% and Robusta by 12% so far in July (coffee trees are very susceptible to frost damage), while sugar jumped 4.7%.

A lower-than-expected Australian dollar combined with good seasonal conditions continue to buoy the outlook for Australian agriculture, according to NAB’s July Rural Commodities Wrap.

Data from Wine Australia showed total exports fell to $2.56 billion over the 2021 financial year. Exports to China plummeted 45% to $606 million. Beijing’s introduction of anti-dumping tariffs and duties in November ... Outside of China, Australian wine exports actually increased by 12% by value to $1.96 billion, and 6% by volume, to 643 million litres.

China’s anti-dumping duties have seriously disrupted Australia’s wine trade, the latest research report from ABARES has found. The report, Australian wine in China: Impact of China’s anti-dumping duties, investigates the short- to medium-term consequences of China’s punitive anti-dumping measures on Australian wine exports.

The Scenic Rim will shine on the global sporting stage when it hosts the rowing and canoeing events at the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games ... Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen: "In 11 years we will have the world's best rowers and canoeists paddling here at Lake Wyaralong, cementing their place in history and making dreams come true."

Sadly, it has become painfully clear that our political leaders have lost the capacity, and even, it would seem, the willingness, to compare the impacts of varying public policy positions. The evidence of this is in the crude lockdowns which provide an opportunity for politicians and bureaucrats to look like they are 'doing something' and that they are 'in control' when in fact neither proposition is correct.