Despite rising freight costs, a rapid increase in farm input costs, difficulties with international shipping as well as labor shortages, Australian vegetable grower-exporters have demonstrated resilience and hard work to ensure high-quality vegetables continue to make their way onto consumer tables around the world in 2021.
The first eight months of 2021 has seen a decline of fresh vegetable export value by 0.9 per cent (AUD$1.5million; M) to AUD$171.5M compared to January to August 2020.
Pre-COVID trade value was AUD$186.9M during the same eight-month period in 2019. Despite the decline in export value, total export volume has bounced back slightly by 4.3 per cent (6,907 tons) to 167,102 tons in 2021. Against the pre-pandemic period of January to August 2019, which saw total vegetable export volume of 178,852 tons, this year the overall export volume has decreased by 11,750 tons in comparison.
ASEAN and the Middle East remain as the main Australian fresh vegetable export destinations. Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, New Zealand, and Taiwan have recorded strong growth in this period.
Malaysia
Fresh Australian vegetable exports to Malaysia recorded an increase of 7.1 per cent in value from AUD$18.7M to AUD$20M, and an increase of 23.8 per cent in volume from 17,340 tons to 21,471 tons. The increase was primarily driven by strong imports of carrots, onions, and spinach. Carrot exports to Malaysia rose by 8.6 per cent in value from AUD$8.7M to AUD$9.5M and increased by 18.7 per cent in volume from 9,543 tons to 11,323 tons.
Thailand
Despite the global supply chain disruptions and challenges to land fresh vegetables in Thailand, Australian vegetable exports increased by 39 per cent from AUD$8.4M to AUD$11.6M, with export volume climbing by 66.7 per cent from 9,209 tons to 15,351 tons.
The major driver of this increase was the increased imports of onions, potatoes and asparagus. Onion exports to Thailand have doubled in export value from AUD$3.7M to AUD$7.5M and in volume from 6,034 tons to 12,170 tons.
New Zealand
Australian vegetable exports to New Zealand have increased by 49 per cent in value from AUD$5.3M to AUD$7.9M, with an additional 100 tons of fresh vegetables being exported to NZ.
Source: ausveg.com.au