What sector is responsible for 30% of Australian manufacturing?

Research just released by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) shows that Australia’s $126 billion food, beverage and grocery sector’s value increased by more than 30% in the seven years from 2007–08 to 2014–15.

AFGC Director of Economics Tanya Barden (soon to be the council’s CEO) said that the policy paper compiled by EY emphasises the importance of the food and grocery manufacturing sector to the Australian economy.

“This report underlines the value of the Australian food and grocery sector at a time when other manufacturing is moving offshore and being buffeted by internal and external economic pressures,” said Barden.

“Employing over 300,000 Australians, the sector’s industry value add of $29 billion was almost three times higher than the next largest manufacturing subsector — machinery and equipment and fabricated metal.

“Importantly, this report shows that Australia’s $126 billion food and grocery industry is likely to play an increasingly important role in Australia’s future manufacturing base as traditional manufacturing areas of strength like the car sector move offshore and export demand for our food and grocery products increases,” Barden said.

Andrew Metcalfe AO, Federal Government Lead Partner, Agribusiness Lead Partner at EY, said “Analysis conducted by EY has found that Australia’s reputation as a producer of clean and green products remains a key international advantage and combined with rising global demand for food gives Australia a great opportunity to drive jobs and investment growth for the future.

“As traditional manufacturing subsectors such as car manufacturing and transport equipment have experienced decline, this has generated opportunities for food and grocery providers to create new jobs, and growth is anticipated to continue,” said Metcalfe.

“While domestic conditions remain challenging, food and grocery processing is an area of strong export growth with an 11% surge in food and beverage exports to $26bn last year. These results show a huge potential for future growth,” said Barden.

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.