Food and agribusiness

Food and agribusiness are critically important sectors to both Victoria and India. Agriculture is a significant part of our economies and communities, and we share a love for quality food and beverages. Since 2018, Victoria has successfully built awareness of Victorian products and helped companies understand the right pathways to market.

This includes connecting Victorian food and beverage businesses with Indian suppliers through trade missions. Success stories include the Craft Beer and Spirits Visit Program, hosted at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, which featured several Indian chefs and an Indian themed lunch, and trade missions to ProWine India 2023 and the Aahar International Food & Hospitality Fair 2024.

We have also supported industry associations in India following the implementation of AI-ECTA, which provides growing opportunities for Victoria and India agricultural trade. The agreement supports Victorian exports to India by improving market access for commodities such as wool, hides, sheep meat, horticulture, lentils, cereals, fruits, berries and nuts. Victoria’s high-value wool exports are also an important input into India’s fashion industry.

What’s the opportunity

As Indian consumers' tastes diversify and India seeks to grow its agricultural productivity, there are opportunities for Victoria to increase exports to India, explore research cooperation opportunities and promote our shared culinary experiences.

Victoria will benefit from the staged tariff reductions under AI-ECTA and through opportunities for collaboration in food and agricultural innovation and climate-smart farming, leveraging expertise in agri-bio research and on-farm trials.

Key statistics

India is in the top 10 export markets for Victorian grain, dairy, horticulture, forest products, skins and hides.
Victorian high-value wool exports are an important input into India’s fashion industry, supporting Indian manufacturing and value-added exports for India.

Case studies

Ellerslie Hop is a Victorian Hop producer supplying global brands and craft breweries with high-quality hop for four generations. While initially unsure whether the Indian market would be the right fit, they embarked on a journey to explore the Indian market in July 2022 with support from Global Victoria.
Ellerslie Hop first supplied to Alchemy Brewery in Bengaluru, with their products now featuring in Alchemy's India-brewed Aussie Pale Ale in 2022. In 2023, they partnered with Bengaluru-based Geist Brewing Co and Mornington Peninsula-based St Andrews Beach Brewery to launch an Australian-style lager called OzLageRoo in India.
'We would not have been able to arrange meetings, engage and build relationships with so many potential customers in such a short period of time without the help of Global Victoria. With their support we were able to achieve in one week what would have otherwise taken us months or even years. Because of their help, India has now become a key part of our global growth strategy.'
Greg Croke, Managing Director of Ellerslie Hop Australia
The Infant Nutrition Council (INC) sees India as an important emerging market. The AI-ECTA agreement will see a reduction in tariffs from 50 per cent to 0 per cent over seven years. This presents a significant advantage over competing importers from EU and New Zealand in the short term.
Global Victoria supported INC in partnership with Austrade to deliver the first infant nutrition trade mission to India in 2023. The mission met with Indian regulators, importers, manufacturers, distributors and health professionals. This partnership approach between industry and government was important and will be central to the ongoing engagement approach in India.
Conosh is bridging the culinary gap between Australia and India through experience dining, featuring renowned chefs from Victoria such as Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris, and Helly Raichura in major Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
The three chefs captivated Indian audiences with culinary creations that showcased the highest quality Australian produce. Collaborating with Victorian businesses like Flinders Truffles, Conosh is elevating local Victoria ingredients on the global stage.
These events celebrated cross-cultural gastronomy while simultaneously bolstering Australian and Victorian tourism presences and brand positioning in India, paving the way for increased networking and business opportunities between the two regions.

Updated 17 September 2024