Evaluation and resource development to advance Australian agriculture export traceability: A study of seafood and horticulture trade with Vietnam

Australia’s strong bilateral relationship with Vietnam has highlighted a significant opportunity for Australian agricultural exporters. Vietnam’s rising incomes, increasingly wealthy consumers, and changing consumer preferences are driving demand for premium quality food products. This is evident in the increases in Australian agriculture exports to Vietnam such as Tasmanian cherries, now the second largest market for exports (ABS.gov.au). Australia is well placed to meet this growing demand.
The overarching objective of this project is to showcase and communicate the role of data-enabled and evidence-based market focused traceability systems and tools for regional Australian agricultural industries to achieve sustainable export development in Southeast Asia.
Specifically, this project assesses consumers’ trust in the traceability and credentials of Australian premium foods in Vietnam’s urban markets and provide useful insights to advance our trade agenda.
By designing and applying traceability features to selected food products, this project assesses Vietnamese consumers’ willingness to pay for these food products and identifies opportunities for premium pricing increases directly related to traceability features.
The project will apply a rigorously designed mixed-methods approach consisting of focus group discussions, pilot traceability demonstrations with two Australian exporters (seafood and horticulture), a large urban consumer survey and experimental auctions of selected premium food products.
The outcomes of this project provide an initial step to building and enhancing trust related to evidence-based traceability standards and credentials through both Australian industry information sharing workshops and the development of partner country commercial relationships.
Project findings will assist strategic decision making for Australian companies engaged in food production, processing, and trade with a dedicated focus on traceability systems for premium valued food exports to Vietnam and more broadly to other Southeast Asian countries.