BAD publicity and criticism was a headwind that supporters of off-shore investment into WA's agribusiness needed to push against, an Australia China Business Council (ACBC) seminar was told last week.
That was the message from Rob Delane, InvestWest Agribusiness Alliance (IWAA) chairman, special State Development Department agribusiness expansion adviser and former head of the Department of Agriculture and Food, to 80 potential investors and investment seekers.
Mr Delane told the agribusiness investment seminar, organised by the WA branch of the ACBC, that a recent visit to China reinforced the intensity of competition WA agribusiness projects faced for investment support.
"It's not just competition for capital, it's competition for business, for business people's and other senior people's attention, it's competition for food markets, other agri-products and general products," Mr Delane said.
"The onus of responsibility is on us to be offering value and gaining attention because our colleagues in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and elsewhere do have other alternatives to us.
"I was also struck by the attention that Australia's processors and commentary on (overseas) investment are getting and that's a headwind people in this room need to push against.
"It is not advantageous for us for a foreign investment from China or anywhere else to be unsuccessful, particularly one to have bad vibes or bad press around it, so this (relationship with ACBC) is a great opportunity to help improve the volume, quantity, spread, reliability and success.
"I think it's important to partner with ACBC, I think that's a really important partnership for IWAA and its more than 200 members to be walking side by side with ACBC members and to improve the agribusiness investment attraction into WA."
Mr Delane said he met with a senior Chinese agriculture ministry official who had been in WA with a small team looking at "one of the ways they can improve the success of Chinese investment in Australia".
"(That is) exactly what we (IWAA) and ACBC is all about," he said.
In June the IWAA met with the ACBC and five other international business councils and over coming months planned to meet with consul generals and business councils to outline agribusiness investment opportunities.
"We've got seven consul generals of direct interest for us in agribusiness here in (Perth) and they are a very energetic and knowledgeable group of people and very supportive of the sorts of things we are trying to do, so we will be making the most of that," Mr Delane said.
ACBC WA executive vice president Lilli Pan said the ACBC's food and agriculture committee was "encouraged" to hold more seminars because of the interest generated.
Ms Pan said two of three projects presented to an ACBC agriculture boardroom seminar in April had gained investment funding commitments.
Five proponents of WA agribusiness projects seeking investment funds also presented their proposals to the seminar.
Irongate Wagyu managing director Peter Gilmour outlined a vertically-integrated Wagyu supply chain project to export boxed beef to Japan and Korea and an expansion of an existing supply arrangement he has with Bruce Cheung on Pardoo station.
David Monks, Perennial Pastoral Co, Badgingarra, outlined a similar vertically-integrated paddock-to-export project for lamb, including the possible purchase of an abattoir.
Chris Brown, Ausgrow Agriculture, explained the organisation's latest broadacre cropping project involving a 10-year investment and annual dividends paid as a percentage share of the grain harvest.
Desmond Williams, Redway Pty Ltd, promoted investment into deer farming and a velvet antler project to supply traditional Asian tonics and growth supplement markets.
Brad Adams, Ocean Grow Abalone, described the proposed expansion of his aquaculture project off Augusta.
Mal Gill
Wool and dairy writer for Farm Weekly.
Wool and dairy writer for Farm Weekly.
