Vegetable growers concerned by rising imports

Statistics showing that processed vegetable imports have increased dramatically have dismayed Australian vegetable growers.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Composition of Trade Australia 2011 statistics, imports of processed fruit and vegetables increased by as much as $119 million. DFAT attributes the increase in part to the high Australian dollar.

“These figures demonstrate an alarming trend that is getting worse, year on year,” said AUSVEG CEO Richard Mulcahy. “The volume of processed vegetable imports in this country has reached worrying heights and measures must be taken immediately to ensure that Australian vegetable producers are provided with a proper level playing field.”

Continued high imports could jeopardise the viability of Australia growers, Mulcahy said. “The Australian vegetable industry is now, more than ever, facing fierce competition from overseas markets and the pressure is mounting on growers to reduce their costs and operate on even slimmer profit margins,” said Mulcahy.

Mulcahy urged the government to consider measures to help growers combat rising input costs and compete with overseas competition.

“While growers and processors here are committed to producing the high-quality products that Australian households have come to expect, if the level of imported products that we are currently seeing increases much further then it will be a grim future for these industries indeed,” Mulcahy said.