Australasian Agribusiness Review -
Volume 19
ISSN 1442-6951

Vol 19 - Paper 1 (pp. 1-15)

Export Demand for Tahitian Black Pearls

Heinarii Haoatai and Richard Monypenny

French Polynesia exports more than 90 per cent of its pearl production, making it the world’s largest exporter of Tahitian black pearls. Tahitian black pearl exports are therefore crucial for the Tahitian economy as they accounted for an average of 50 per cent of total export earnings, for the latest data available, for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006. This means that export performance not only plays a major role in determining the profitability of the Tahitian pearl industry, but also in the growth and development process of the local economy. For this reason, knowing the determinants of the external demand for pearl exports remains crucial for all industry players and policymakers.  In terms of export performance, the aims of this paper are (i) to estimate the price and income elasticities for raw pearl exports, (ii) to estimate the substitution relationships between raw, semi-processed and processed pearl exports, and (iii) to identify what product differentiation needs to be considered.  Empirical findings suggest (i) a price inelastic (-0.42) and income elastic (3.53) export demand for raw Tahitian pearl exports, (ii) cross-price elasticity estimates that are inconclusive, and (iii)  the need to support the development of product diversification into value-added processing in each product market. However, the most significant and unexpected finding from this study is the poor quality of industry data available for analysis. A significantly improved data collection is a matter of extreme urgency

Vol 19 - Paper 2 (pp. 16 - 34)

China's Wool Import Demand: Implications for Australia

Hui Liu, Zhang-Yue Zhou and Bill Malcolm

China is the largest importer of Australian wool. China’s demand for wool has significant implications for wool producers in Australia. In this paper, an AIDS model is used to analyse the responsiveness of China’s demand for wool imports and preferred sources of imports of wool. The results indicate that, in general, China’s demand for wool imports is not very responsive to changes in prices and expenditures. When demand for wool imports increases, China has a tendency to initially obtain imports from countries other than Australia. In the foreseeable future, it is unlikely that China’s demand for wool imports will experience significant increase. The wool trade between China and Australia may change, depending on global demand for woollen products, demand for woollen apparel by Chinese consumers, and changes in China’s regulations to protect the environment.

Vol 19 - Paper 3 (pp. 35-43)

A pig in a poke? Accounting for uncertainty about elasticity values in an EDM of the Australian pig industry

Stuart Mounter and Garry Griffith

Recently Griffith et al. (2010) updated an existing equilibrium displacement model (EDM) of the Australian pig industry which was then used by Slattery et al. (2010) to estimate the potential industry impacts from an increase in demand for low cholesterol pork (see Bellhouse et al. 2010). In that model the specified market parameters were chosen on the basis of economic theory, previous studies and some assumptions made by the authors. While it was concluded those values adequately represented the price responsiveness of market participants within the industry, uncertainty still exists about their true values. This may have implications for the results generated from the model.

In this paper stochastic sensitivity analysis is undertaken to account for that uncertainty. Overall, the EDM results are found to be relatively robust. However, the methodology used allows for the calculation of probabilities to determine the chances of a result contrary to that obtained using the original point estimates.

  Vol. 19 - Paper 4 (pp. 44 - 63)

The Australia–Chile Free Trade Agreement and prospects for trade in fresh fruit: the cherry industry

Andrés Valdivieso, Peter McSweeney and Nanette Esparon

Australia has reduced its international trade barriers by signing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). These FTAs have brought benefits to some sectors of the economy, along with threats to some firms in local industries. The recent FTA between Australia and Chile has focused attention on the competitiveness of the Australian fruit industry, because of significant differences in costs of production in the two countries.   In this paper the forces promoting and resisting the importation of fresh fruit, including cherries, into Australia from Chile are discussed. Both countries enjoy similar natural conditions to produce cherries and counter-seasonal competitive advantages to export to a range of countries. As well, the strong Australian domestic demand for fresh fruit could encourage Chilean exporters to access Australian markets. At the same time, phytosanitary requirements remain an obstacle to Chilean imports of cherries to Australia.

Vol. 19 - Paper 5 (pp.64-75)

Assessing buyers' requirements for fresh produce in the formal market sector of Papua New Guinea

Christie Chang and Garry Griffith

A market survey was conducted in five main city centres in Papua New Guinea to better understand buyers’ requirements for fresh produce of major buyers in the formal market (wholesalers, the food services sector and supermarkets). The objectives of the survey were to provide farmers with this market information and to identify marketing opportunities which suit their circumstances. The establishment of quality standards for key vegetables appears to be a reasonable starting point for improving communication on, and meeting, quality requirements from the formal market. Locally appropriate quality standards will help provide incentives to farmers to produce quality products and guidelines to improve postharvest handling.

Vol. 19 - Paper 6 (pp.75 - 97)

The feasibility of fresh ginger exports from Papua New Guinea to New Zealand

Christie Chang, Garry Griffith and Gus Maino

In this paper the technical and financial viability of exporting fresh ginger from Papua New Guinea to New Zealand was assessed in terms of the following criteria:  technical capability of meeting market requirements for consistency in quality and volume and dealing with quarantine and other market access issues; market opportunities for growth and sustainability; financial investments required and how they will be financed; and organisational/management capability of coordinating the ginger supply chain from farm to markets overseas. The conclusion was that exports of Papua New Guinea fresh ginger into the New Zealand market would be both technically and financially infeasible. In contrast, the Papua New Guinea domestic market has considerable potential with the demand for ginger, as well as other fresh produce, set to increase substantially in the next few years due to the up-coming PNG LNG Project and other mining activities. A broad-based agricultural development program for fresh produce for the domestic market would better meet the needs of Papua New Guinea farmers than would an export emphasis.