Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the success of a great Riverland business in my electorate of Barker. Founded as a growers' cooperative in 1944, Almondco Australia processes and markets almonds for more than 85 per cent of Australia's almond growers. Located in Renmark, Almondco has the largest and most modern almond processing facility in this great nation. As one of the most successful horticultural cooperatives in the nation, Almondco was recently announced as the winner of the Regional Exporter Award in the 54th Australian Export Awards. The Australian Export Awards is a national program that recognises and honours Australian companies engaged in international business who have achieved sustainable growth through innovation and commitment. The awards measure businesses against their peers based on the strength of their international growth, marketing and financial strategies. This year's 81 finalists represented the diversity of Australian businesses, ranging from family owned firms to large listed corporations. Nominees also included many emerging exporters in Australia's growing service sector. Together, these 81 finalists generated a whopping $12.3 billion in exports in the last financial year and they employed more than 34,500 Australians.

Businesses like these are driving Australia's successful transition to a post mining boom economy, with many accessing new markets and creating new local jobs with the help of our most recently established export trade deals. Almondco is a fantastic example, exporting to more than 35 countries, including the well-established markets of the United Kingdom, Western Europe, India, Japan, the Middle East and New Zealand. Almondco is also taking advantage of emerging markets in South-East Asia, Eastern Europe and China. Exports made up 47 per cent of Almondco's $260 million total revenue. The record sales help make Almondco Australia's most valuable horticultural export in the 2015 calendar year. This award adds yet another successful chapter in Almondco's success story, following hot on the heels of being inducted into the Hall of Fame at the South Australian Food Industry Program Awards in 2015. Almondco is just one of Barker's great success stories. It is a fantastic example of the contribution that the agricultural sector makes to our economy and yet another reason to be proud of a sector that is satisfying the globe's insatiable appetite for our clean, green produce from our pristine environment.