Business View Oceania - Mar 2024

OPENING L INES GOV’T BOOSTS WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S F&B MANUFACTURING SECTOR IN NEW FUNDING INITIATIVE Source- https://www.australianmanufacturing.com . au/, Kate B, First Published 26th March, 2024 The Western Australian Government announced a fresh wave of funding, totalling over $470,700 in Agrifood and Beverage Vouchers in a move to bolster the state’s agrifood and beverage industry. These funds have been allocated to 69 applicants hailing from regions including the Mid West, Great Southern, SouthWest,Peel,Wheatbelt,Gascoyne,Pilbara, and the Perth metropolitan area, aimed at fostering growth within their operations, the government said in a media statement. The injection of these vouchers is anticipated to stimulate an additional $741,600 in co-investment from the successful recipients, thereby fueling the expansion of the state’s economy. Among the recipients, innovative manufacturer Edible Cutlery, renowned for crafting food utensils from wheat, corn, and rice at its Osborne Park facility, will leverage its voucher towards market analysis and audience profiling, with the aim of boosting sales and scaling up production. Similarly,Denmark-based family enterprise Stash Coffee intends to utilize the voucher to explore sustainable packaging alternatives and revamp its website, with the ultimate goal of doubling its locally roasted coffee output. The vouchers extend support to a diverse array of WA value-adding businesses spanning confectionery, dairy, specialty foods,meat, pasta, seafood, baked goods, coffee, tea, honey, oat products, meals, herbs, spices, beer, wine, spirits, and other beverages. Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis expressed satisfaction with the impact of the voucher program, highlighting its role in fostering growth and diversification among WA’s agrifood and beverage businesses over the past six years. She stressed, “Our vision is for a strong economy for all Western Australians and this Cook Government investment will mean more local processing and 9 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 06, ISSUE 03