Dairy Australia has received a $74,600 grant to drive the project, which will focus on building research and development collaborations, sharing technical expertise and developing relationships to benefit the dairy industry.
India is the world's largest dairy producer and the fastest growing large economy — it is projected to be the third largest country in the world by 2035 with 1.6 billion citizens.
Dairy Australia managing director David Nation said the Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation project was timely to help focus Australian dairy businesses on possible areas for cooperation and relationships.
“Joint activities are supporting trade to India, with comprehensive research into the Indian dairy market to gain an understanding of India’s supply chain, state of the industry, key stakeholders and consumer behaviours — to inform where there are the greatest opportunities for strategic partnerships that benefit both Australian and Indian dairy farmers,” Dr Nation said.
“As part of the project, a report on the Indian dairy sector has already been produced to provide an overview for Australian industry participants to better understand the Indian production systems and market.
“It is hoped this initial step will help focus Australian dairy businesses on possible areas for cooperation and relationships.”
Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the deal came at a time when dairy demand was growing in India.
“Consumer demand in India for dairy milk products is expected to outpace supply until 2035 and there will also be enormous demand for value-added milk products,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Our dairy farmers and processors are renowned here and abroad for their high-quality products.
“The ATMAC project will support long-term strategic engagement between the Australian and Indian dairy sectors to explore ways to improve collaboration and identify mutually beneficial opportunities.
“The project is taking a long-term focus and aims to position Australian dairy farmers, processors and supply chains as preferred partners for their Indian counterparts into the future.”
The strategy focuses on long-term opportunities to collaborate and build relationships, based on an analysis of where Australia is positioned to provide initiatives of value to the Indian sector.
Initiatives will be co-designed with the Australian dairy industry and Indian stakeholders and will involve industry consultation and in-market partners.
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