Page 18 - Food & Drink Business Magazine September 2018

Export hot spots
Export Connect’s Najib Lawand reveals the hottest export destinations for Australian food and beverage businesses, and how to make the most of them.
AT Export Connect, we see interest in Australian products coming from the ASEAN region, the Middle East and USA. Most of the time, these types of opportunities are easy to pre-qualify and to understand.
When it comes to the ASEAN and Middle East markets, places such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai are mature markets, and that makes them a great place to benchmark your brand against the slew of international brands present.
Singapore, for example, has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, and due to land constraints, as much
as 90 per cent of food consumed is imported. Its import rules and regulations are also
simple and easy to access. Hong Kong relies heavily on
imports too, with 95 per cent of food and beverage products imported, some of which is re-exported into mainland China, Macau and other neighbouring markets in Asia.
Growth opportunities, however, can be found in the surrounding markets, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Indonesia and the Philippines. There is a growing need for organic and health foods
18 | Food&Drink business | September 2018 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au
“ A fast-growing demographic slanted toward young adults in Saudi Arabia, paired with
a growing participation of women in the workforce, is expected to increase demand.”
UP AND COMING
With a food and beverage economy valued at $18.3 billion in 2017, the UAE is another exciting prospect. Also highly dependent on imports, it re-exports to other GCC countries, former Soviet states, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa.
in Indonesia, for example, with organic beverages recording a total of 14 per cent retail growth in 2017-2018.
A fast-growing demographic slanted toward young adults in Saudi Arabia, paired with a growing participation of women in the workforce, is expected to