New opportunities for SA exporters in Southeast Asia
Media release
20 January 2010
Trade Minister Simon Crean today released new analysis showing major new opportunities for South Australian exporters in Southeast Asia.
South Australia last financial year exported $1.3 billion of merchandise to the 10 ASEAN nations which accounted for 14 per cent of the state’s total merchandise exports.
Mr Crean said there were new opportunities with the start of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement on January 1, 2010.
"South Australian companies and producers now have a chance to grow their market-share or break into new markets in Asia."
"This is a great opportunity and I urge South Australian exporters to examine the possibilities in the 10 ASEAN countries that are home to 600 million people".
"Asia is the fastest growing region in the world with a rising middle class that is hungry for quality products and services like those from South Australia."
New analysis by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has identified opportunities for South Australian exporters to benefit from tariff changes. These include:
- The immediate reduction of a 7% tariff to 3% on $3.2 million of South Australian wine exports to the Philippines.
- The elimination in 2016 of a 5% tariff on $9.1 million of South Australian wheat exports to Vietnam.
- The immediate elimination of a 3% tariff on $1.9 million of South Australian copper mattes exports to the Philippines.
- The reduction and elimination of tariffs, currently between 5% and 40%, on pasta in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam.
- The elimination of a 5% tariff on $0.9 million of exports of South Australian oranges to Indonesia expected later this year.
- All tariffs on seafood exports to Malaysia will be eliminated by 2011, except for tariffs on octopus which will be eliminated by 2015.
Mr Crean said that across the 10 countries of ASEAN, there were wins in meat and animal products, cereals, citrus, wine, seafood, passenger motor vehicles and parts and other products.
"These will also help boost exports from regional South Australia such as the Riverland, the South East, the fisheries of Port Lincoln and Eyre Peninsula, and the industrial hubs in Adelaide and Port Pirie.
"But they will only materialise if exporters take advantage of the additional market access created by the new ASEAN agreement. I urge exporters to contact Austrade or their export agents."
From January 1 this year, thousands of tariff lines began reducing with the entry-into-force of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement in
Brunei, Burma, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand are expected to ratify the Agreement this year.
Mr Crean is in South Australia on January 20 and 21 to take part in Community Cabinet in Adelaide. Mr Crean will also open the new offices of the Institute of International Trade at the University of Adelaide and visit the production plant of pasta exporter San Remo.
Details of the analysis can be found at http://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/fta/asean/aanzfta/south_australia.html
Media inquiries
- Mr Crean’s Office: (02) 6277 7420
- Departmental Media Liason: (02) 6261 1555