Stock Journal

Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?

Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?
Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?

This is advertiser content for CommBank.

It’s National Agriculture Day, and what a great day that is. Our agricultural industry is critical to our national economy, and definitely deserves this day of recognition.

Our agricultural products are among the best in the world. Everyone wants Australian produce. That is why the forecast value for Australia’s agricultural production for 2018/19 is $60 billion, well on the way to the industry target of $100 billion by 2030.

It’s impossible not to feel passionate about regional Australia and agribusiness. The people I meet every week in regional Australia are taking on challenges from climate change to volatile commodity prices at the same time as they are creating opportunities from developing new products to offering jobs in their communities.

Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?
Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?

Through advances in science and technology our farmers and the agri supply chain are getting better at doing more with less, so we can continue to punch above our weight in feeding and clothing the growing global population that is predicted to be 10 billion by 2050.

And more than that, Aussie farming know-how is helping those in developing countries build their own agri sectors. Our cotton growers produce enough cotton to clothe 500 million people, we grow more than 1 million tonnes of potatoes each year and every Australian farmer produces enough food to feed 600 people.

These are just a couple of the incredible stats that demonstrate what makes our agricultural industry so remarkable and inspiring.

Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?
Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?

But it’s not always easy. Agribusiness is a demanding industry and it’s been a particularly rough period for those on our east coast. What has felt like a month of non-stop rain in Sydney recently can’t alter the fact that drought is still present on many farms, and the flow on effect is felt throughout the supply chain and through local communities.

A huge goal for our team at CommBank is to support customers in good times and in not-so-good times. That means doing what we can to make life easier when things are not going so well.

Commonwealth Bank fundraising for drought-affected farmers reached $7.86 million, thanks to the generosity of customer donations. We have also offered extended drought support and I am part of the Government’s Drought Finance Taskforce.

Of course, what we’re really hoping for is an end to the drought. In the meantime, we’ll keep working closely with customers and doing what we can.

The theme for this year’s National Ag Day is #GrowforGood and it sums up my experience of agriculture in Australia. The customers we work with are not just growing produce, they’re growing businesses and communities, ideas and partnerships.

We’re firing up the barbie in many of our regional hubs today, and I hope many of you will be able to drop in and celebrate National Ag Day with us.

Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?
Happy #AgDayAU! Are you celebrating?

Exports on the up

CBA’s Agri Commodities Strategist Tobin Gorey says there’s good reason to celebrate the global success of Australian agriculture and how it benefits our economy.

“Despite trying times for some, Australian agriculture is plugging into consumers’ demand for more and better food, particularly in emerging markets.

“Australian exports to China, for instance, are growing strongly – the past five years have seen the value of grain exports double, and meat and dairy exports more than triple, with horticultural exports more than six times what they were five years ago,” Mr Gorey said.

This is advertiser content for CommBank.