The Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research will receive funding from the Australian federal government to help identify new marketing opportunities in South East Asia for the island state's vegetables.
The project is one of 14 to draw from A$1.3m in government funding to help promote Australia's primary industries to domestic and overseas markets.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke announced the government would spend up to A$116,000 to develop strategies to determine the needs of new South East Asian vegetable markets.
"Horticulture is a vital part of the Tasmanian economy and its enviable biosecurity status means that Tasmania can export many crops that other parts of Australia can't," Mr Burke said in a media release.
"This project will provide Tasmanian vegetable growers with a strategic plan to take advantage of new opportunities, such as the South East Asian market."
Joe Gayton, of vegetable exporter Field Fresh Tasmania, told Fruitnet.com that South East Asia was a market rich in potential for Australian exporters.
"I recently attended the Fresh Produce Malaysia conference and actually had a lot of success in finding some new business in that South East Asian market," Mr Gayton said.
"Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand - they're the main ones. We already ship onions to these countries anyway. We haven't traditionally shipped carrots, but it's a field we're expanding into."
The Australian vegetable industry's peak body, AusVeg, which represents the interest of 9,000 growers nationwide, has welcomed the news.
"The Australian vegetable industry is struggling against an increasing flow of vegetable imports. This funding represents a commitment from the government to the industry that will greatly assist growers and open up new opportunities for them and their families," AusVeg chairman John Brent said.
"It is great to see that the Australian government is delivering on its election promise to help the industry develop export marketing opportunities."
In 2008/09 Tasmania was responsible for 91 per cent of Australia's fresh and chilled onion exports, 39 per cent of Australia's fresh cherry exports and half of Australia's fresh apple exports.
