Western Australia's (WA) government has appointed trade officers in Singapore and Mumbai, India, to boost the state’s export opportunities.
Natalie Tan joins the Singapore office as food development manager, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry.
Guruprasad Hegde joins the Mumbai officer, with experience in agriculture commodities and trading.
'Singapore is an important long term trading partner for Western Australia, providing growth opportunities for our food products due to its proximity, recognition of quality products and leverage into other Association of South-East Asian Nations' markets,' Ken Baston, WA agriculture and food minister said.
'With India's middle class expected to represent two thirds of its population in 2030, this market presents important opportunities for our premium food produce.'
The two new positions are part of the Asian Markets Success project, which is one aspect of the state’s A$300m ‘Seizing the Opportunity Agriculture’ initiative to identify trade and investment opportunities for WA’s agriculture and food industries.
Hegde and Tan join the network of WA trade and food development officers, which includes appointments in Indonesia, China and Dubai.
WA exported A$150m of products to Singapore in 2014/15, including carrots, wheat and milk, and A$62.5m to India, including field peas and oats.
