Premier

International Buyers Meet Some Of Gippsland’s Best

14 September 2016

Food & Beverage Trade Week (FBTW) – the state’s premier inbound trade mission targeting the global food and beverage market – is in full swing today with a delegation of international buyers visiting some of the state’s best meat and dairy producers across Gippsland.

The FBTW meat site tour will see delegates representing leading food and beverage importers from across the Middle East, South East Asia and Bangladesh visit the Victorian Livestock Exchange in Leongatha, Victoria Valley Meats in Trafalgar and a local cattle farm.

The dairy tour, which includes delegates from China, Japan and South East Asia, will visit milk powder manufacturer ViPlus Dairy in Toora, Burra Foods in Korumburra and the National Centre for Dairy Research and Development in Ellinbank.

This year’s FBTW program has attracted 150 international buyers and investors from across the globe and allows them to experience Victoria’s world class dairy, meat and processed food sectors first-hand in the state’s prime agricultural regions, which also includes the Goulburn Valley, the Yarra Valley and Geelong.

The program also includes one-on-one business matching sessions and a range of networking events to support Victorian companies to establish and strengthen international trade relationships, secure new investments and grow their businesses.

The state’s food and fibre sector now employs more than 190,000 Victorians and in 2014–15 food and fibre exports were valued at $11.6 billion, an increase of $282 million compared to the previous year.

Over the same period, the state accounted for 83 per cent of Australia’s dairy exports, 48 per cent of horticultural exports and 41 per cent of prepared food exports.

FBTW is part of a four-year $12 million Andrews Labor Government initiative to build a strong and sustainable inbound trade mission program that allows us to bring investors from key international markets to our doorstep.

Quote attributable to Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis

“Our inbound trade missions are bringing the world to our doorstep so that more Victorian businesses have more opportunities to form sustainable partnerships that will help them grow, create jobs and strengthen our local economies.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford

With a global reputation for producing and exporting premium clean and green products, this is a great opportunity to show more of the world’s key buyers and investors that we really do have the best of everything.”

Quote attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing

“Gippsland produces some of the country’s best protein and dairy products and this is an opportunity for our local companies to show that off to some of the world’s key buyers and investors and create lasting business relationships that will help them grow locally, nationally and globally.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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