AEGIC News and Stories

Upholding its supply reputation for safe and healthy grains, Australia could help South East Asian governments combat their emerging dietary problems.

Proposing valid, long term grain consumption scenarios – as required by players in the Australian grains industry – requires a different approach and tools to short-term forecasts, some of which are slightly fuzzy and challenging for us data driven analysts.

Australia continues to increase its production and export of wheat; Australia’s principal grain. However, growth rates in the global export of other grains outstrip that of wheat. This is causing the pie of international traded grains to grow, with Australian wheat’s share of that pie gradually shrinking; even though wheat production in Australia remains profitable.

Australia’s climate remains highly variable, challenging agricultural production and its related sectors. Yet despite Australia being a global leader in volatility of agricultural production, farmers and scientists are consistently delivering improvements to ensure farming remains profitable.

Loss of a major grain market like China’s barley market can trigger calls for greater market diversification and more niche markets. However, developing niche markets has pros and cons. Developing niche markets usually requires careful effort.