Victoria strengthens trade ties with MENA

DUBAI -- The State Government of Victoria will continue to facilitate Victorian trade, investment and education in the Middle East and North Africa, which now imports $2.4bn of goods and services from the Australian province.

"The Victorian Government remains fully committed to the region and will continue to foster a mutually beneficial relationship with the MENA business community," said John Butler, State Government of Victoria Commissioner to the Middle East and North Africa
Good and services imported from Victoria include premium food and beverage, automotive vehicles such as the Melbourne-made Toyota Camry and highly manufactured goods across a range of industries, Mr Butler said.

"We now look forward to building on the strong foundations that have been made over the past 15 years and further developing the two way trade between Victoria and the MENA region," he added.

Mr Butler was recently re-appointed as the Commissioner for the region until 2015 and leads a team of industry professionals. The team creates opportunities to expand the market for a range of goods and services including food and beverage, education and financial investments.

These industries were a focal point of the Victorian Government's recent 'Super Mission' to the Middle East. In February the Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business, Tourism and Major Events, Louise Asher, headed up a delegation of more than 100 leading companies in the State's first multi-industry trade mission to the region.
The trade mission, Australia's largest-ever to the region, signalled the Victorian Government's intentions to ramp up engagement with the Middle East across a number of industries, including food and beverage, infrastructure, water and agribusiness.

Largest food-exporting state

Many of the visiting companies participated in the annual Gulfood exhibition, further positioning Victoria as the food basket of Australia. As the largest food-exporting state, Victoria is home to more than 2,000 food processing companies. Food and beverage exports to the MENA region are worth around AUD$830m per annum.

Victoria's dairy industry is the largest food industry in Victoria, with world-class companies such as Murray Goulburn, Tatura Milk Industries and Warrnambool Cheese calling Victoria home.

Education and tourism
Education also remains an important industry for Victoria in the Middle East. Between 2002 and 2011 enrolments from Middle Eastern students in Australia grew at an average annual rate of 25%. In Victoria during this period, enrolments from Middle Eastern students grew at an average annual rate of 27%.
Air links between Victoria and the region has also been significantly opened up over the past 15 years with major upgrades on flights with the leading airline carriers further boosting trade and tourism.

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