Today	Sat
Clear 22°/ 9°	Partly Cloudy 20°/ 7°

← Tri Series opener brimming with talent LMW encourages Clynes customers to make contact →

Exporters look to West Africa for success

Posted on November 11, 2011

A MILDURA-based business plans to establish an outpost in Cameroon, in West Africa, as part of an unprecedented push to export Sunraysia-based knowledge and produce into the country.

Aus Asia directors Carlo Calvi and Steve Timmis

Steve Timmis and Carlo Calvi, directors of new Mildura-based import/export business, Aus Asia Industries, hope to have an outpost or business centre established in Cameroon before the end of the year.

The planned trip follows a visit to Sunraysia last weekend by a member of Cameroon’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting delegation, Donatus Boma, who took the opportunity to visit the district while in Australia (Perth) for CHOGM.

In addition to meeting with Aus Asia Industries, Mr Boma stopped at Sunraysia-based Australian Garlic to get a first-hand look at the produce and the technology behind it.
Mr Timmis said there was massive potential in Cameroon.

“The visit and round-table discussions that took place between Mr Boma and the potential investors underscore Cameroon as an undeniable destination for export, agribusiness investment and Australian-accredited training,” he said.

“We are looking forward to a visit to Cameroon for an on-the-ground assessment in a few weeks and to set up the office and on-the-ground presence before returning there in early 2012 with a small delegation from Victoria for detailed opportunity analysis.”

Aus Asia Industries said there were a host of different export opportunities for Sunraysia, including wine and wheat.

Cameroon, with a population of about 20 million, imports half a million tonnes of wheat each year from around the world, including Canada and Russia, and imports wine from countries including Spain and Chile.

Mr Boma used his address at CHOGM to highlight Cameroon as a destination for trade and investment for Australian businesses, but has zeroed in on Victoria, resulting in his visit to Sunraysia last week.

“Mildura is the right city to begin the advancement of Cameroon’s agricultural and investment credentials to the agribusiness community,” he said.

He described Sunraysia farmers as world leaders in irrigated agriculture, highlighting the fact they hold intellectual property licenses to several crop varieties and technologies which could be employed in Cameroon.

He said Australia’s presence in the region had so far been “stifled” due to there being no Australian embassy there and the fact the main language spoken was French, due to its French colonisation, which presented a language barrier.

Mr Boma said that during CHOGM, Prime Minister Julia Gillard alluded to the fact the Federal Government would be offering ‘mining educational assistance’ to nations like Cameroon, which have massive oil, gas, ore, diamaond and bauxite projects entering production in coming months.

He said this ‘educational assistance’ would include opportunities to combine with agriculture training in both English and French, helping to break down some of the barriers that have existed until now.

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook