AEGIC’s Australian wheat technical seminars in Indonesia are helping grow the value of Australia’s single biggest market amid intense pressure from low-cost competitors.
On Monday 4 March, 2019 – coincidentally the day that the landmark IA-CEPA agreement was signed elsewhere in Jakarta – 75 representatives of major Indonesian flour mills converged to learn more about the benefits of using Australian wheat.
Held in collaboration with Wheat Quality Australia, wheat breeding company InterGrain, Austrade, Chopin Technologies and Victorian grain grower Julia Hausler, the noodle-themed seminar attracted participants representing 90% of Indonesia’s flour milling capacity.
AEGIC Wheat Quality Technical Markets Manager Dr Larisa Cato said AEGIC was leading the long-term positioning of Australian wheat in Indonesia, in collaboration with industry partners.
“The Indonesian flour milling industry is highly competitive with very low margins. Flour millers feel they are being ‘forced’ to use more wheat from low-cost origins such as Russia, Ukraine and Argentina, which is putting Australian wheat under increasing pressure.
“AEGIC’s response is to continue to provide education to Indonesian flour millers about the value of using Australian wheat, in collaboration with industry partners.”
The seminar included an overview from Dr Cato of what the Australian industry is doing to meet the noodle quality requirements of Indonesian customers.
“This was very well received, and the good news is the millers were unanimous that Australian wheat is the best for noodles,” she said.
“Nevertheless it’s crucial that the Australian industry continues to drive improvements in quality attributes such as noodle texture.”
Wheat Quality Australia Executive Officer Hugh Robertson explained to participants how wheat quality is managed in Australia through the market driven classification system.
InterGrain wheat breeder Dr Daniel Mullan explained how his company targets particular quality attributes for Indonesian noodles when breeding new wheat lines.
Grain farmer Julia Hausler, from near Warracknabeal in Victoria, gave an overview of Australian grain production and its benefits. Julia Hausler is also a Director with GrainGrowers Limited.
Ms Mathilde Berra from equipment manufacturer CHOPIN Technologies described the latest innovations in flour and noodle quality measurement.
AEGIC’s Australian Wheat Technical Seminar coincided with the Australian Grains Industry Conference in Jakarta on Tuesday 5 March, capping off a big week for the Australian grains industry in Indonesia.
In the coming months, AEGIC will run similar technical seminars across South East Asia, including Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. Events will also be run in Taiwan, Japan, Korea and China.
Media contact
Keir Tunbridge
0409 991 817
