Grant adds fibre to food exports

Business Asia, May 31, 1999

A new Australian program aimed at building internationally competitive supply chains for food and fibre exports will begin in July.

The A$9.2 million, three-year Food and Fibre Chains Program will be managed by Supermarket to Asia Ltd and aims to increase trade for Australian producers.

Supermarket to Asia executive director Mr Jim Kennedy said the program would provide matching funding to help Australian companies develop efficient and competitive demand chains and sustainable trade relationships.

"Funding is allocated primarily on the likely increase in export value and the extent to which results can be demonstrated to other food and fibre industry participants," he said.

"With increasing concentration among global food buyers, business is won more on the performance of the whole chain rather than the effectiveness of the individual producers".

Supermarket to Asia received a boost this month with the announcement in the Federal Budget that it would get three more years of funding.