Austrade, AUSVEG Mark Decade of Boosting Veg Exports
Juicy carrots, fat pumpkins, crisp bok choy, and aromatic herbs were among the fresh produce on show during the 2025 Reverse Trade Mission organised by AUSVEG and Austrade.
Forty delegates from 12 countries visited major growers, processors and retailers in southern Queensland. They toured prime vegetable growing businesses in the St George, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim regions. The delegation also visited various facilities, including an irradiation centre and a smart farm, to experience the latest Australian agri innovations. Visits to Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Harris Farm Markets were also on the agenda.
On the last day of the mission, delegates attended a Knowledge Exchange Breakfast Forum sponsored by the Australia-Japan Horticulture Showcase. They then sampled premium fruit and vegetables at the AUSVEG Fresh Produce Showcase. The day ended at the Hort Connections 2025 conference, where delegates met suppliers and industry representatives from across the country.
‘Australian fruit and vegetable growers have a reputation for producing some of the best-quality produce in the world,’ says Michael Coote, CEO of AUSVEG. ‘The 2025 Reverse Trade Mission is a valuable opportunity for key international buyers to see and experience our world-class production businesses and practices up close.’
‘This is the 10th year that AUSVEG and Austrade have collaborated to bring vegetable buyers to Australia,’ says Jay Meek, Austrade’s General Manager, Trade. ‘It’s great to work with AUSVEG on this mission and other programs that support Australia’s vegetable growers to export. Partnerships like this one demonstrate the value of deep, sustained engagement between industry and government.’
A 10-year partnership to support horticulture exporters
The partnership between Austrade and AUSVEG leverages each organisation’s individual strengths: Austrade’s connections to overseas customers, buyers, importers and distributors, and AUSVEG’s relationships with produce growers.
The annual in-bound mission is funded through vegetable, onion and melon industry research and development levies in partnership with Hort Innovation. AUSVEG creates and delivers the mission.
Over the past 10 years, Austrade and AUSVEG have brought hundreds of customers to visit regions in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. They come from around the world, including Northeast Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam).
A major highlight for delegates is meeting growers and processors and seeing Australia’s production regions, farms and facilities in person.
‘It was a wonderful experience, providing the opportunity to meet growers, exporters and other buyers, share insights, gain learnings and have fun,’ says Laurent Varachaud, Senior Category Manager – Perishable, Classic Fine Food, Hong Kong. ‘We hope to reconnect with everyone met on the tour.’
‘From insightful meetings and farm visits to productive networking sessions, all of us truly had a fruitful week,’ says Ebby Loo, Managing Director, Euro-Atlantic, Malaysia: ‘A special thank you to AUSVEG, Horticulture Innovation and Austrade whose generous support made this mission possible. Your dedication to fostering connections and exchange of knowledge in the fresh produce sector is much appreciated.’
https://www.austrade.gov.au/en/news-and-analysis/news/austrade-x-ausveg-celebrating-10-years-of-helping-aussie-vegetable-exporters