IT IS one thing to achieve self-proclaimed success, quite another when it comes from an independent body.
It seems the efforts of the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) in promoting Australian wheat abroad have not gone unnoticed by our competitors.
Canadian agricultural columnist Gerard Pilger recently penned a piece for leading farming media outlet Country Guide highlighting AEGIC’s successes.
He said AEGIC had hit the mark with its brochures on information regarding Australian wheat, barley, oats, canola and pulses and suggested the Canadian industry was missing the boat in providing its customers with a similar product.
The Canadian attention illustrates how AEGIC has helped fill part of the ‘industry good’ slack left by the dissolving of the Australian wheat marketing single desk a decade ago.
One of the major concerns from industry following deregulation was that individual grain trading and selling businesses would only look after their own interests in terms of promotion and that the Australian wheat industry as a whole would be out-promoted by competitors, such as the US with its powerful lobby groups such as US Wheat Associates.
However, it appears the work of organisations such as AEGIC is ensuring potential customers have the information they want about Australian wheat.
AEGIC chief executive Richard Simonaitis said he was pleased the brochures were capturing attention.
AEGIC is working hard to deliver value back to the Australian grains industry, and these grain brochures are a very visual part of that work,” Mr Simonaitis said.
“They’re designed to communicate the benefits of using Australian grain and contain information about the Australian grains industry that is practical and informative to growers, buyers, sellers and our overseas customers.
“They’ve been really effective so far, and it’s great to see them making waves out there with our competitors as well.”
Mr Pilger said the Australian brochures were much clearer and to the point than the Canadian offering.
AEGIC, which was established in 2012, has a mission statement to be Australia’s leading organisation for market insight, innovation and applied technology in the grains industry.