Asia there for the taking

Norco Dairy Co-op deputy chair Tony Wilson says the road to China had not been easy for the company.

“The tyranny of distance is still a challenge for Australia, but the size and scope and proximity to Asia cannot be ignored,” Wilson says.

In the past 12 months, Norco has managed to set up systems so that fresh milk is sent to China within seven days of production. It achieved faster regulatory and logistics access, and a direct selling trail online. 

The co-op also developed a smartphone app that allows customers to trace information on when the milk was packaged, and it will tell where it was produced.

“Slowly but surely the potential in China is being realised,” Wilson says.

Norco’s sales in China had grown ten-fold in the past year “and there was more to come,” he said. The Norco brand is now available in many cities in China.

Bruce Warren, head of Japfa Comfeed, an agribusiness firm, told the conference the opportunities in Indonesia are immense and that Australian producers needed to be “bold”. “Unless we jump in boots and all now, we’re going to be left behind.”