Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator the Hon Murray Watt
Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell
The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to simplify trade processes and open up more opportunities for Australian businesses to expand and diversify.
In a win for local producers, it is now easier for them to sell Australian wine to Thailand.
Australian exporters can now use the simpler Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Model Wine Certificate which eliminates onerous testing and analysis requirements, delivering an estimated $1.2m cost savings to exporters in the next three years.
Around 3600 different Australian wines have entered the Thai market in recent years. But since September 2019, there has been a requirement for wines entering Thailand to undergo onerous testing for a whole range of substances.
The new, simpler process will reduce the administrative burden of arranging test samples to be shipped overseas, reduce the time to market by up to 3 months, and reduce barriers for Thai importers, increasing the attractiveness of Australian wine.
Thai and Australian officials have worked for more than 18 months to deliver this outcome, with assistance from Wine Australia and the Australian Wine Research Institute.
The Government's recently released Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 highlights incredible opportunities for Australian wine in the region. Southeast Asia is also one of the fastest-growing markets for Australian agricultural exports. Our wine exports are a key part of the diverse range of agriculture and food products that Australia exports to Southeast Asia, valued at around $89 million per year.
Thailand is a significant and growing diversification market for Australian wine, with exports more than tripling in value over the past three years to nearly $58 million.
The new $19.2m Southeast Asia Business Exchange (SEABX) initiative will help give Australian exporters greater exposure to the region, helping them diversify their trade and improve long-term profitability of exports.
