What was it all about?

This three-year project, which ran from 2013 to 2016, aimed to facilitate export market access and ensure Australian almond products were tailored to marketing opportunities in key international markets.

An integral part of the project was ensuring Australian almond industry representatives were able to visit, study and learn first-hand from interaction with importers, trade officials, market analysts and researchers, and play a role in export market development.

The project’s export development strategy focussed investment in the free trade agreement markets, such as China and Japan, while maintaining a strong presence in established markets in Europe, India and the Middle East.

One of the key achievements of this project was facilitating an increase in Australian almonds sales to India from $52 million to $196 million from 2012/13 to 2015/16. India remains the largest country of destination for Australian almonds, sold mainly as in-shell product.

The tonnage growth over the course of the project increased 65 per cent from 6,191 tonnes to 15,655 tonnes.

Other achievements during the project included:

• At the start of the project the monthly export price per kilogram was $7.26, by the end of the project it was $8.22
  
  
• Australian almond exports to Japan and Korea increased 416 per cent and 1,103 per cent respectively
  
  
• The volume of nuts exported to China increased from 38 tonnes to 898 tonnes
  
  
• Australian almond export tonnage to Indonesia increased by 275 per cent.