AUS: Organic food and wine exporters gain easier access to China

(BRW) - The $1.3 billion organic food and wine industry is set to gain a $100 million-plus lift after the umbrella body won Chinese approval to certify export produce in Australia.

The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia estimates it could add up to $100 million in extra sales annually for local operators because it will give easier access to the Chinese market, and lead to lower costs for local producers who will get their paperwork signed off in Australia first, after checks by inspectors approved by Chinese authorities.

Ben Copeman, the general manager of the association, said it is the first time a foreign organisation had secured approval to inspect organic products for export to China.

“It’s very good from a lowering costs viewpoint, and very good from a market access viewpoint,” Copeman says.

He says it will allow Australian organic producers the same access to the highly regulated Chinese organic market as they currently have to the organic markets in the United States, Japan and Europe.

An official agreement was signed in Adelaide on Monday between the association and the Chinese organic certification body Beijing WuYue HuaXia Management and Technique Centre.