South Australia's wine and tourism industries will soon have better access to cutting edge technology that will further drive our state's already booming wine exports, thanks to new Marshall Liberal Government funding.
The program, called 'Foment - SA's Wine and Tourism Tech Revolution', will offer support to wine and tourism start-ups to help them take advantage of new advanced technologies.
Touring the 17th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference (AWITC) in Adelaide today, the Premier and Minister Whetstone were eager to speak with as many of the 1,444 national and international wine industry delegates to learn about their ideas for growth.
This year's conference includes displays showcasing the many aspects of wine production, from presses, to storage and bottling solutions, as well as innovative AgTech involving artificial intelligence and satellite technology.
Premier Steven Marshall said the investment will ensure the continued growth of the wine and tourism industries in South Australia, which are so critical to the state's economy.
"South Australia's wine industry is world-renowned and this announcement as well as being able to host more than 1,000 national and international delegates further enforces this," said the Premier.
"The Foment program is designed to benefit South Australia's wine and wine tourism industries by helping to embrace technology to enhance their global capability and competitiveness.
"Hosting the 17th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference allows us to showcase to the world our industry credentials while looking to others to continue to grow."
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone said adopting new technology is crucial to the future of the South Australian wine industry.
"Foment is exciting as it focuses on businesses that bring in disruptive technologies and add value to our wine and tourism sectors," said Minister Whetstone.
"The wine industry in South Australia is the shining light of our food and beverage sector and investing in this intensive program will only assist to provide a platform for new ideas.
"This program will work in well with the Marshall Liberal Government's Entrepreneur VISA program and the South Australian Landing Pad and I look forward to the results of Foment."
Wine Industry Suppliers Australia Inc is a national, not-for-profit industry association supporting Australia's grape and wine supply chain stakeholders.
WISA Chief Executive Officer Matthew Moate said the program would kick start novel ideas enhancing capability and competitiveness for SA's wine and tourism sectors.
"This funding will help us develop the accelerator program, including a strategy detailing how it will run," said Mr Moate.
"It's exciting as we've never done this before - bringing industry and entrepreneurs together to rapidly develop technology to meet their needs now and into the future."
Foment will run in partnership with the Flinders New Venture Institute (the incubator and acceleration arm of Flinders University) and business growth specialists Hydra Consulting.
South Australia is the undisputed wine capital of the nation, with 50 per cent of all Australian wine made from our grapes and 80 per cent of all premium wine also from here.
Figures from a Wine Australia report show the value of South Australia's wine exports has hit $1.79 billion, meaning it has more than doubled in the past eight years.
The state's wine industry is a pillar of strength for the South Australian economy, with latest data showing its revenue has risen to more than $2 billion.
