New investment from the Australian Government through the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR) will allow the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) to continue building Chinese relationships to support enhanced use of Australian barley for the malting and brewing industries.
On behalf of the Australian barley industry, AEGIC supports Chinese customers by providing technical information and support to help them optimise the value of Australian barley.
With NFACR investment, AEGIC will coordinate Australian barley industry seminars in China, host a 10-day industry delegation from China to showcase the Australian barley supply chain, and deliver market briefings to Australian growers aimed at building China literacy and capability, among other activities.
AEGIC will collaborate with Grains Australia and other industry participants, including breeding companies, brewers, maltsters, growers and educational institutions to deliver the project, which will support and further deepen the relationships between the Australian and Chinese barley industries for long-term mutual benefit.
AEGIC executive general manager Courtney Draper said China is a significant market for Australian barley exports.
“Chinese customers prefer Australian barley because of its excellent quality and performance for malting, beer brewing, distilling and animal feed,” she said.
“Having access to timely technical information from the Australian barley industry is highly appreciated by Chinese customers and increases the likelihood they will choose grain from Australia.”
While tariffs affecting barley exports to China were in place, AEGIC continued to engage with Chinese maltsters and brewers to provide information on new varieties, accreditation developments and industry updates, to help maintain relationships and pave the way for Australian barley to smoothly re-enter the market.
When tariffs were removed in August 2023, trade immediately resumed, and by the end of 2023, Australia exported nearly 3 million tonnes of barley worth $1.2 billion to China.
