Question Time

Food and Beverage Exports

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. How is the South Australian government supporting our premium producers at international food and beverage exhibitions?

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION (Taylor—Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Planning) (14:44): I thank the member for Mawson for his question; he is always a great champion for our food and wine sector. The house would have seen, yesterday, the ABS trade statistics released for Australian jurisdictions. South Australians have another record export high of $16.5 billion.

These figures really do demonstrate the importance of South Australia's trading relationship with Asia. Two of South Australia's top three export markets and eight of our top 10 largest trading partners are now in Asia. We see the region continue to be a really lucrative market for South Australian food and beverage companies. In 2022, South Australian companies exported $1.4 billion worth of food and beverages to the region, which is a 26.6 per cent increase.

It's for that reason that we continue to support South Australian producers and businesses on the world stage at two of Asia's biggest food and beverage exhibitions. The 48^th International Food and Beverage Exhibition, FOODEX 2023, held in Tokyo, Japan, commences this week. About 90,000 people are expected to attend and taste products from more than 3,000 producers around the world.

The exhibition follows growth in the value of South Australian food and beverage exports to Japan, most notably in premium wine. The value of premium South Australian wine exports to Japan grew to $7.2 million during 2022, an increase of almost 52 per cent on the previous year. The value of food and beverage exports to Japan has increased by more than 5 per cent on the previous year. We see that bluefin tuna from Eyre Peninsula is our largest food commodity export to Japan.

FOODEX is an opportunity for South Australian companies to showcase premium produce and gain a foothold in this very large market. Twenty-three South Australian brands will be front and centre at that food and beverage exhibition. These brands represent South Australia's premium food and beverages, such as honey, wine, beer, gourmet sauces, seafood, olive oil and almonds. The South Australian brands will be part of a Tasting South Australia exhibit.

My department will also be doing a Tasting South Australia press event, held at the Australian Embassy, presenting a talk show style cooking demonstration. Our Tasting South Australia ambassadors will be present to present the South Australian products, demonstrating how easily they can be cooked at home as restaurant-quality meals, using South Australian ingredients and pairing not only wine but gin as well with the meals. That's particularly important. Tasting South  Australia is a brand that is already familiar to the Japanese market, particularly through Japan's largest online e-commerce site, Rakuten. Two of the 23 brands attending FOODEX will be there: Buzz Honey and Soul Diva will both be present at that very important event.

We will also be present at Food & Hotel Asia, held in Singapore. We were there last year. It is a very important event to connect. Registrations are currently open for this year's exhibition, and the Department for Trade and Investment will have a really large presence at that event in Singapore as well.

These are really, really important opportunities for business to get out there and connect with buyers in the Asian market. This government takes a sophisticated and mature approach to these things. We know the world is open for business, and we want to be open for business as well. We know the opposition is trending towards sort of an immature, populist, third-rate approach to this.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Morphett!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Flinders! Order, member for West Torrens! Member for Taylor, order! The member for Taylor is warned. Member for Colton.