New export opportunities will be available for Australian raw sugar thanks to ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11) by the Australian government today (31 October 2018).
The TPP agreement improves the terms of access for Australian sugar into Japan, Mexico, Canada, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Importantly, the terms for sugar exports to Japan go beyond the gains achieved in the Japan-Australia bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA), which have lifted sales of high quality (pol) sugar to Japanese refineries since it came into force in January 2015.
David Pietsch, CEO of the Australian Sugar Milling Council thanked and congratulated the Australian negotiators and the Minister for Trade and Investment, Simon Birmingham.
Delivery of this valuable trade deal required perseverance and bipartisan resolve and the sugar industry acknowledges the work of the previous Minister, Steven Ciobo, to keep the dream of a deal alive.
As the sixth country to ratify the agreement, the Australian government has formally brought the agreement into force.
Australia is the third largest raw sugar exporter in the world (after Brazil and Thailand). Sugarcane is grown by more than 4,000 farm businesses and processed at 24 Australian mills. The industry directly employs 16,000 people.
31 October 2018