Six months after its launch, the biggest ever trade push in the history of Australian horticulture is gaining momentum in a host of key export markets for Australian vegetable growers.

The Taste Australia initiative, which was developed in consultation with growers, state and federal government agencies and other stakeholders, has been rolled out in 10 countries across Asia and the Middle East to spread the message about Australia’s quality fresh produce.

The initiative encompasses trade show attendance, in-store promotions and seminars for buyers, media and influencers to spread the message about Australia’s quality produce and increase demand in key export markets. Since the initiative’s launch in 2017, more than 300 industry representatives and growers have attended trade shows in Dubai, Beijing and Tokyo, and over 800 separate in-store promotions have been executed to directly reach consumers in 10 countries.

Taste Australia is also supported by more than $40 million of research and development projects. For more information about this program and the work Hort Innovation is doing through Taste Australia, see the latest Hort Innovation media release about the initiative.

As part of this export push, Hort Innovation and AUSVEG will work to increase the value of vegetable exports to $315 million by 2020, equivalent to a 40 per cent increase overall as part of the Vegetable Industry Export Strategy published this year. This will be achieved through relationship-building, supporting industry to get export-ready, boosting supply chain efficiencies and overseas activities.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits you can enjoy by exporting your produce, or want to know more about how to become export-ready, check out the exports section of the AUSVEG website.

This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 27 March 2018.